


Walking the Stars - Rivals

by sweetinsane



Series: forever trusting who we are [1]
Category: Star Wars, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Force Unleashed - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Force Unleashed - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Canon, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Family Issues, Friendship, Gen, Post-Revenge of the Sith, Pre-A New Hope, Sibling Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-07
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-01 14:46:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 81,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/358027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetinsane/pseuds/sweetinsane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For eight years, Darth Vader has been training a secret apprentice. What will become of the apprentice, when Vader finds out Obi-Wan might be hiding something more than just himself?</p><p>You do not need to be familiar with The Force Unleashed to read this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PROLOGUE I - Starkiller

**Author's Note:**

> You can find this fic on [FF.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7298979) as well, which is where I originally started publishing it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Deep in the space, on the secret shipyard of Scarl system lies the massive hull of a Star Destroyer. She is yet far from ready, but the space around her is filled with smaller vessels, performing their tasks without any rest in order to finish her. She will become the largest ship in the Imperial Navy, the first Executor-class Star Dreadnought. She will become something dubbed as a _Super Star Destroyer_ , for she was nearly twelve times as long as a regular Star Destroyer that would shrink beside the 19 kilometre beauty. The whole work so far had been done strictly by droids only, due the extreme secrecy of the project. But today even the most simplest ones among the droids are as nervous as their programming allows them to be, for a rumour has spread: her owner was present.

And deep in the hull of her already finished parts, the tall, black figure of the owner stood. Darth Vader, the Sith Lord had taken some time off of his busy schedule, not only to see the growth of his future flagship, but also to see his secret apprentice, living on the finished lower decks.

The angry crimson blade of a lightsaber in the hands of a young boy attacked, but Vader parried easily, although to his delight, he had to admit the boy had made a lot of progress within the past two months they'd not seen each other. His attacks were better aimed, his connection to the Force grown steadier and he managed to stand his ground when Vader made an easy attack. The boy was strong in the Force, stronger than many Jedi he'd encountered. With time and proper training, he would easily be worthy of the status of his official apprentice.

At the time being he was still merely a 12-year old boy, wielding a weapon he could not fully control yet. But the boy would grow and learn. This boy was Vader's ticket out of the hell he lived in. Maybe five, ten years more or so, and all the secret training would hopefully pay off. Then the boy would be ready to start facing real Jedi Knights. And from that it wouldn't be too long for him to be ready for the faith Vader had prepared for him: assassinating the Emperor.

Vader had found the boy roughly eight years ago on Kashyyyk. He was the son of a Jedi Knight called Kento Marek, but the boy didn't need to know that just yet. It would be better to reveal this part of his past after the boy had learnt to hate the Jedi enough for this knowledge to fuel his anger and strengthen his connection to the dark side of the Force. The boy had a real name, but Vader simply referred him as Starkiller. Apart from power over the boy, the codename also gave him the much needed distance.

In many ways, Starkiller was an unwanted distraction. Young, agile and strong in the Force, the boy seemed to be everything he had once been. A living, breathing link to his past he wanted nothing, but to forget for good. Worse, the boy was everything he could have had, had he not strangled the woman carrying his own child...

Angered with the trail his thoughts had taken, Vader's 'sabre scratched the boys arm and he sent the child flying to the far end of the room before even realising he had done a thing.

The boy let out a surprised yelp, but was quickly back on his feet. Yelling out his frustration the boy ignited his 'sabre again and ran at him. But Vader had suddenly lost interest in training.

"Enough for today. I have more important things to attend to."

With all the yelling, the boy did not seem to hear or care for his order. Starkiller was merely a metre from his master, when he felt the floor disappear under his feet and the lightsaber was pulled from him by an invisible hand.

"Master?!"

"I said enough!" Vader roared, lifting the boy to his eye level with nothing but the Force. The boy's anger still out-ruled the fear, but not for long. He gripped the air and the boy tried to gasp for a breath. Unlike most people, his young apprentice did not grasp his throat in futile attempt to loosen his collar, but instead, his eyes were searching for the lightsaber.

"Do you dare to disobey me?" the Sith Lord bellowed and hurled Starkiller to the floor, never loosening his choke-hold.

That did it. Despite the lack of oxygen, Starkiller felt his head clear of the blind rage. He looked up to his master, relaxed and closed his eyes. If he were to die now it meant he wasn't worth his master's time. But he'd tried so hard...

Darth Vader regarded the boy for a second. He needed Starkiller to constantly be on his toes and to believe his master was ready to kill him for even a slightest mistake. In reality, Vader had no such luxury. This boy was his best and quite possibly the only chance of freedom.

Starkiller drew a deep, laboured breath immediately after he let go.

"Forgive me, my Master," the boy rasped, getting on his knee.

"Next time I may not be so forgiving. I have no need for a weak fool who cannot obey."

"I apologise, my Master," the young apprentice responded obediently, bowing his head in submission.

Darth Vader said nothing. He turned and stormed out of the doorway, leaving Starkiller alone in the empty, unfurnished room. The boy did not rise his head until his master's presence in the Force was far enough for him to not know his exact location. Then, and only then, did he get up. For a while he just stood, gritting his teeth.

Metallic steps approached him from behind, but Starkiller sensed no danger. PROXY wasn't up for a fight this time.

"Oh, master," the tall holodroid sighed as soon as he came to Starkiller's line of vision. "You got hurt _again_."

"It's nothing," he muttered, rubbing the burnt skin with his fingertips. Darth Vader's lightsaber had burnt a hole through his sleeve and scorched his arm. It would most likely leave a scar if he didn't put bacta on it, but he didn't mind the scars. He already had plenty of them. The burn stung a little, but didn't really hurt. He'd experienced worse.

"Shall I retrieve your medpac?"

Starkiller shook his head, closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. His blood still rushed from the adrenaline of the intense training session with his master. Six times this morning he'd experienced near death. The sixth had been entirely unnecessary and a stupid blunder from his part. What was his master thinking of him now?

_...a weak fool who cannot obey._

"I am _not_ weak!" the boy suddenly screamed and gave a Force powered kick to the durasteel boxes that had been left in the room. "I'm not. And I will prove it to him. I _will_."

"I'm sure you will, master. After all, he wouldn't have kept you for this long if he didn't believe you to have some potential," the droid tried to reassure him.

Starkiller turned to look at his droid companion. PROXY was the closest thing he had to something he could call a friend, and had been in his life for nearly as long as he could remember. PROXY was a holodroid, capable of projecting an image of a person around himself, mimicking the person's voice and movements, or even working as a holotransmitter, projecting the image of the caller so that it almost seemed as if the caller would have been standing right in front of him.

PROXY was also his personal teacher and trainer. The droid had an impressive knowledge of both the Sith and the Jedi fighting techniques. They could spar for hours in the empty rooms and hallways of the unfinished Destroyer. Sometimes, quite often to be truthful, the droid would attack him out of nowhere as per to his programming. Master Vader had made it so that each time they fought, it was for real. PROXY's only goal in life was to assist and eventually kill him.

The apprentice called his lightsaber back from the floor where Vader had thrown it. He sighed. "Spar with me, PROXY."


	2. PROLOGUE II – Ben Kenobi

By the age of 47, Ben Kenobi, formerly known as Obi-Wan Kenobi, lived in a way he'd never imagined some ten years ago. When he had first settled on this desolate planet called Tatooine, he'd still been a youngish man, one of the few survivors of his kind. Now after the years spent under the harsh twin suns of the desert planet, he looked almost ten years older than he was. He'd lost most of his athletic built due to the lack of training, and his hair had started to lose its auburn colour. He looked more like an old hermit he'd become than a Jedi Council member he had been.

Ben lived alone in small hut near an area called the Western Dune Sea. The reason for this location was simple. The only thing he could do was to keep an eye on the 9-year old boy living nearby.

The man sighed. Instead of his mind clearing for meditation, his thoughts had once again trailed to the subject he rather wished to avoid. Especially for the past few days, the thoughts of Anakin had haunted him. The memory of the burning man flashed before his closed eyes. No, he did not want to go back there. Not today.

Clearly, meditating would not happen today, either. He could as well start his day without it. Again.

Ben moved to the small kitchen area and began preparing his morning tea. Even here, on the hot Tatooine, he would not start his day without a cup of tea. It was one the small comforts that allowed him to stay sane in his isolation. But for today, the Force seemed to have other plans for the former Jedi Master. The water would not boil. After searching around he figured that most of his electrical utensils were not working, not even the lights. Worse, his fridge was rapidly getting warmer.

One of the first proper sandstorms of the season had hit the area during the previous night. After getting out it was quite easy to see that the sand that had the tendency to get absolutely _everywhere,_ had managed to plug the generator's exhaust pipe and through it, the whole generator. He had no choice, but to get his tools and open the damned thing.

It had been early morning when Ben got up, but soon it was almost midday and the generator was still not in working order. Ben wasn't a complete novice when it came to machinery, but at times like this he wished Anakin were still alive. Anakin would have immediately pointed out the problem and fixed it, and he would have had his tea long time ago.

It wasn't the first time his generator had been acting up, but the previous times he or someone in Anchorhead had been able to somehow miraculously get it back to work. Perhaps this time he really ought to just get a new one.

"This isn't my day," the Jedi muttered under his breath. For a while he pondered whether he should take the old generator with him in hopes for a discount for a new one in exchange, but in the end he decided against it. He ate his fridge empty of the foods that were most likely to be spoilt in the heat for lunch, and then got his robes and prepared his eopie for the long walk.

He decided to head for Bestine instead of Anchorhead. The capital wasn't that much farther than Anchorhead, although for Bestine he would need to head to North-East instead of South-East. The way to the city wasn't an easy on, as he had to cut through the canyons and rocky hills where the Tusken Raiders could easily hide, but what would a man not do for a better selection of power generators?


	3. PROLOGUE III – Darth Vader

Darth Vader roamed aimlessly through the unfinished corridors of his enormous future flagship. In his mind, he'd settled for the name _Executor_. Simple, yet the word perfectly described her. He had already visited the new hangar area that was nearly finished, seven kilometres away from Starkiller's training area, but it and none of the areas on the way hadn't truly interested him. When Vader came here, he'd often walk around inspecting the progress that had been made, but not today. For now, his only reason for walking was to clear his head.

Had he been on Coruscant or on some of the ships that had a special pressurised pod for him to breathe without the mask, he would have sat down to get rid of the claustrophobic armour. It felt like his thoughts were trapped inside the suit just like he himself was. Nine years wearing it had not made it significantly any easier to bear, even though there were days he was perfectly comfortable with it. There were days when he could look back and not feel the pain, but today was not one of those days. Today, the memories flooded uncontrollably and the armour felt more like a coffin than part of his body. Despite the respirator, it seemed to suffocate him.

His current sour mood was, of course, result of the training session with Starkiller. It was easy to lash out at the boy, but it wasn't really his intention to. His goal was to have a loyal apprentice who would respect him despite the harsh training –not a slave who'd obey him merely out of fear.

The Emperor would not be pleased to know this was how he thought. On more than one occasion he had displayed dissatisfaction towards Vader's attitude for his underlings. The Emperor did not care if he was not liked. Neither did Vader, but unlike the Emperor, he made a difference between loyalty out of fear and loyalty out of respect. He preferred the latter, despite utilising the first far more often. One of the only useful traits of Anakin Skywalker that he still had. From his point of view, it was better to be respected than feared when it came to loyalty, although fear was a useful ally. But one loyal man was worth more than a legion of slaves, for a slave would turn its back on its master when the first opportunity arose. Vader himself, if anyone, should know. And Starkiller would be a powerful ally indeed.

If Vader could keep himself from making the boy hate him more than respect him.

It was purely his own fault that he could not fully let go of the memories of his past life. He wanted to, perhaps more than anything, he wanted to _just forget_. Sometimes he would think he had succeeded, only to have something trigger the memories again. Often, it would be something about _her_.

Not this time, though. Today it was more about the child. There were times he felt like treating his young apprentice as that child. It could be his son he was training. It could be almost like he had always imagined life would be.

For most of the time, like today, the remembrance had made him want to kill Starkiller. What right had he to live, to breathe, to be so strong in the Force when _his child_ was dead? When he himself was so horribly mutilated and handicapped to live on his miserable existence in constant physical and mental pain, without any of his loved ones by his side? The women he had loved were dead, one by his own hand. The men he had trusted had betrayed him. _She_ had betrayed him.

And yet, he would forgive her for bringing Obi-Wan with her if she had just _survived_. Even if she had hated him for the rest of her life it would have been better than the world without her.

He badly wanted to smash something. Kill something.

Without realising, Vader had arrived to the finished hangar where his heavily modified Eta-2 Actis interceptor awaited. He was tempted to climb into the cramped cockpit and get out of the whole Scarl system, away from Starkiller's presence, but the thought of the small space he'd have to squeeze himself in didn't feel all that appealing. He felt claustrophobic enough already.

Darth Vader stopped some five metres from his fighter. The astromech had noticed him. R4 rolled his dome and beeped questioningly. The black starfighter's lights flicked on.

"No, I am not leaving yet."

The droid beeped again and the fighter's lights went out. R4-K5 went back to its sleeping mode without further sound effects. The black astromech droid was dull. It had hardly any personality compared to R2-D2.

Vader sighed inwardly. Yet another part of Anakin's life had managed to surface. It seemed to happen a lot today. He looked at the little droid for a long time. Had Obi-Wan not stolen Artoo, they'd probably still be flying together. Not only Artoo, his former master had also taken C-3PO. Among with his lightsaber –and his dead wife. He'd cut of his former apprentice's limbs and left him to burn to death.

A hot rage rushed through what was left of his organic body. Obi-Wan Kenobi had taken _everything_ from him. Vader had been obsessed by the search for the man, but so far his former master had managed to stay hidden. The Emperor had grown tired of it and ordered him to stop attempting to locate Kenobi. He posed no threat to them or the Empire. More overly, his grudge against the man was a link to Anakin's life. But Vader did not want let go. His hatred towards the man who had once been his best friend, his brother, his _father figure_ , was one of the few things that kept him going.

The tall half-machine of a man turned around to leave the hangar, determined to forget about Anakin. He was done for thinking of his life for today.

He had been walking for a long while. It was already late in the Imperial Capital. If Starkiller lived by the schedule he was supposed to, then the boy had already gone to sleep. After his outburst earlier the day Vader didn't feel like bullying the boy further by waking him up for more training, but perhaps he ought to update PROXY's battle simulations.


	4. PROLOGUE IV – Luke Skywalker

It was late at night when Ben Kenobi returned to his hut from Bestine. A normal, smart person would avoid travelling during the Tatooinian night, but he was no ordinary person. The Tusken Raiders knew better than to try attack the former Jedi Master.

"Good girl," Ben silently talked to his eopie while preparing her for the night. The animal had been extremely distressed while walking through the canyons, but she trusted her owner.

"A rip-off price, but at least tomorrow I'll have my tea. Should work for the next ten years, he said... There you go, girl. I'll see you in the morning."

Ben moved the new generator indoors. He wouldn't be installing it tonight. It could wait until morning. The house was dark and he couldn't see a thing due the lack of any kind of light once indoors. Outside there had at least been the moons and the stars. But it didn't really matter. He knew where everything in his home was and with the Force guiding his steps there was no danger of tripping.

Whereas Ben was just settling for the bed, in another house the family had been sleeping for several hours now. The Lars family went to sleep early as they were to rise with the suns. Such was the life of a farmer.

Beru Lars had been deep asleep, when she suddenly woke up. At first she wasn't sure what it was that had woken her, but then she felt small hands nudge her, trying to get her attention.

"...Luke?" she murmured sleepily.

The 9-year-old boy stood beside her side of the bed in his pyjamas. In the dim light she could see he was upset.

"Luke, honey, what is it?" she enquired still half asleep.

"Can I sleep with you?"

Beru sat up silently, careful to not wake her sleeping husband.

"No, Luke, you can't," she whispered back. "What's wrong?"

The boy pressed against her. "I had a bad dream."

Beru stroked the boy's blond hair and gingerly got off the bed. "Come."

She held Luke's hand while they tiptoed to the kitchen. Trying to cover her yawn, she flicked on the small lights above the counter. Luke remained at the doorway, hiding his eyes from the sudden light.

Beru took a while to warm up a cup of blue milk for the boy. Luke was not his son, but she treated him with the same love she would have if he were. The boy had been in their life for nine years now, yet it seemed like it was yesterday when Obi-Wan handed her the small bundle that was a newborn baby. It was hard to believe that such a sweet boy could be the son of one of the most feared men in the galaxy.

They sat side by side at the dining table. Luke bit his lip and held his small hands around the warm mug.

"A bad dream?" she inquired after the silence had stretched too long for her liking.

The boy nodded once.

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

"It's the same dream," Luke whispered.

Beru nodded. For the past month Luke had woken up in the middle of the night every now and then. For couple of the first times he'd screamed in his sleep, waking up both his uncle and aunt. Many times he had just stayed in his bed, but sometimes when it became unbearable, he'd come for her to find comfort. For many days during the past month, Luke had been unusually silent. If she'd ask, he'd say it was nothing, but she knew it must have been another nightmare the previous night. But he would not talk about it.

"You won't tell Uncle Owen, right?"

"Of course not," Beru assured with a smile. "Now, why don't you tell me about this dream. I'm sure it'll feel less scary once you do."

Luke fell silent and kept staring at his milk. She wished she could help him, but if the boy refused to talk it was going to be difficult.

"It's a bit different every time," Luke finally said. "But it's the same dream."

The boy sipped the milk and for a while Beru was afraid he wouldn't talk after all.

"It's always so dark. And cold. And hot at the same time. Sometimes I'm being chased, but when I try to run it's like I'm on quicksand. The darkness just swallows me up. It's like I'm being buried alive and I feel like I can't breathe..."

Luke's voice cracked and he fell silent. Beru nudged him to urge him to continue.

"Sometimes I know it's not me, not really. Sometimes there's...someone. I don't know who. He's like a... A huge towering presence over me. Sometimes he's chasing me and I know something bad will happen if he catches me. Sometimes I just feel his eyes all over me and I can't hide no matter how much I try."

Luke was now fighting back tears. Beru put her arm protectively around the trembling child.

"It's just a dream," she tried to reassure him, even though she felt a chill run down her spine. She had a fairly good idea of what these dreams could mean.

_He's nine. Normal children have nightmares as well. It could be nothing._

"But it feels so real," he choked, holding tightly onto her. The woman held the boy close, caressing his back.

"Dreams often are," she spoke softly. "It's not until we wake up that we realise it wasn't really happening."

"How can I make it stop?" Luke cried.

"I wish I could have an answer. I know it's frightening, but you need to be brave. Dreams can't hurt you. Once you wake up, you can control it."

"But I'm afraid he's there," the boy whispered, scanning the room with his saucer wide blue eyes as if he believed the monster from his nightmare might be lurking at the corners even now. "I can't sleep when I'm afraid he's somewhere in my room."

"There's no one in your room, Luke," Beru promised. "We can check it together if you want to. And we can leave the lights on in the corridor."

Luke swallowed. He found himself disappointed by his aunt's reaction, but he nodded in agreement. "Okay."

"That's the spirit," Beru smiled. She just wanted to get back to sleep. "Now drink up your milk before it gets cold."

She stayed next to the boy as he slowly finished with the milk. She then walked him to his room, tucked him in the bed and checked every possible dark corner in the room. She found a pair of dirty socks, a spaceship model and a poncho, but no monsters. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to return to bed, but Luke wasn't convinced.

"What if he comes after you're gone?"

"He won't, he's not real."

"Can't you stay until I'm asleep?"

Beru looked at the blond head peeking from under the covers.

"...please?"

She sighed, but stepped forward. "Fine. But just this once."


	5. I

The twins suns on the blue sky shone brightly, heating the dusty streets of Anchorhead, but it didn't bother the playing children. Ben Kenobi sat in the shadows of his favourite café, sipping cool, cheap version of juri juice while keeping an eye on one particular child.

The nine-year old Luke Skywalker was almost the spitting image of his father at the same age. That young slave boy seemed like a dream he'd had a lifetime ago. It was almost painful to see Luke smile the same smile his father so rarely had had on his face. So similar, yet so different.

Ben watched Luke kick the ball that was passed to him. The boy had good and fast reflexes. He would make a fine Jedi, of that Ben was sure. _Or…_ a small voice reminded, _he would make a fine Sith._ Would he be a good enough teacher to ensure Luke would not succumb to the darkness like his father had? Sometimes he wondered, if he had made the right decision by bringing Luke here. The child was happy with his family, but would he be too old for the Jedi training? Anakin had been nine and Master Yoda had not him trained. Ten years ago he would have said "nine isn't too old, Anakin turned out just fine".

He should have listened to Master Yoda. _If only..._

Ben closed his eyes for a moment. _A Jedi does not dwell on ifs_ , he reminded himself.

Anakin had been very different from Luke. Whereas Anakin had been forced to mature at an early age and learn to cope with the crueler side of life, Luke was still very much a child. As he should. He had a loving family and friends. He did not need to fear for any of them being sold to another planet. He went to school and was free to play like a child should. Unlike Anakin, Luke was still very much oblivious to the harsh reality of crime on the very planet he lived on, and how monstrous slavery could really be like. And Ben would rather it to still stay this way.

But, no matter what Owen might have said, Luke would need to start his training some day. He would need to become a Jedi. The galaxy needed him to become a Jedi.

Such great potential should not go fasted during these difficult times.

Ben would gladly train the boy, yet, he was afraid he would fail the way he had failed with Anakin. To this day he could not tell what was the final straw that led his former Padawan and a dear friend to the faithful decision that had re-shaped the history of the known galaxy. How could one man's one decision lead to so much evil?

Out on the street, Luke scored a goal past the tallest boy in the group. His friend and closest neighbour Biggs Darklighter cheered and a handful of other children on the same team did the same. Ben continued to secretly watch the game until Biggs's father's speeder pulled to the street and then after a while drove away with him and Luke. The Jedi watched them leave, considering whether he should leave as well. It was a long ride back to his hut and he had already done all the shopping he needed. He finished with his drink, non-alcoholic, for he had noticed the stronger beverages made him ill very quickly in the local climate. Not that he had cared much for the first few months after settling here and when what his Padawan had done had truly hit him. What Ben had done to _him_. Almost everyone he had known and considered his family were dead, and it had taken a while for that to really sink in.

Master Windu, Master Mundi, Master Fisto, Master Tiin, Master Gallia, Master Unduli, Master Secura, Master Ti, Master Koon… All presumably dead. The list was endless. Not just the Masters, the Padawans and younglings as well. All _gone_ because of one man.

Ben tried to shake the thoughts off while slipping into the café. He was immediately greeted by the owner.

"Too hot out there?" she asked and moved to switch the HoloNet channel from Hutt Space news to Imperial news channel when Ben sat down. Rioters and protestors filled the screen. They were surrounded by stormtroopers, who opened fire to the crowd.

"I just came to pay," he said, but made no move to do so. People on the screen screamed and tried to escape. Some of the bravest, or perhaps the most desperate, attacked the troopers.

The owner shook her head. "Those people are mad."

Ben had to agree with her. While he was glad to see not everyone accepted what the galaxy had become, it was sheer madness for them to riot against such an enemy. They weren't soldiers, they had a minimum amount of weapons, if any. They hadn't come anticipating their protest would end in such a violent way.

He found it hard to shift his eyes away from the bloodbath playing on the screen. Only when the announcer returned to the screen, explaining how the Empire swiftly cleaned the streets of these potentially dangerous future terrorist with a smile on his face, did the Jedi turn away.

"I suppose I should leave," he said, feeling his pockets for credits. He gave one last glance to the screen, but the news had already changed to a promotional report from Corulag Academy. With a heart heavier than in the morning he left, wishing only he would soon be home and could meditate to forget.

* * *

Starkiller was battered and exhausted after the entire morning of defending himself against Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel. He had literally fought until he could barely stay standing after his master's brutal attacks, but the more tired he'd grown, the more vicious his master had become. And just because eventually he just collapsed from exhaustion didn't mean he'd get to rest.

 _There is no pain where strength lies._ It was something his master had taught him. Pain could be turned into power.

So despite his body aching in protest, he got up when his master so ordered. He fought without thinking, only relying on his instincts, only to his connection with the Force. He would have to be powerful enough to not make mistakes even when driven to his very limits. He would have to overcome those limits.

Finally, his master stopped and raised his hand to tell Starkiller to lower his weapon as well. Darth Vader nodded barely noticeably. It was the closest thing to a praise Starkiller ever received from his master. He clipped his weapon to his belt and bowed, waiting for his orders. His heart pounded and he was short of breath. Most twelve-year olds would not have been able to stand on their feet after what he had just gone through this morning, but he was no ordinary twelve-year old. He wished his master would recognise that as well.

Master Vader then asked him what he thought he had made most progress with since his last visit. Starkiller didn't need to think for long. There was one thing he had only lately started practicing and his master didn't even know of it yet. He stretched out his hands and closed his eyes in concentration to turn all the fatigue into anger and that anger into strength. The blue electricity that gathered around his fingers and palms prickled slightly, but did not hurt. It was power at his very own fingertips.

The Sith lightning was an intense and violent weapon. Very effective when used correctly. But it could also be lethal for its wielder if not mastered. Should Starkiller make the lightning too powerful for himself to handle, he could easily end up killing himself.

He released the energy at his master, who easily directed it away from himself with his lightsaber. Starkiller hoped for some sort of an acknowledgement, but as usual, his master seemed unimpressed and offered no encouraging words. It didn't disappoint the apprentice, for he knew his master. No comments would just help to further inflame his desire to succeed, to show the Sith Lord he was worthy.

He was allowed a short break when they moved to a different part of the ship. The room, or perhaps some sort of a hangar, was vast and had catwalks high up in several levels. Starkiller knew the exercise well. He leapt straight up and landed on a catwalk with an unsatisfying clank of his boots. He grimaced slightly at the sound, as well as at the pain in his legs.

"Again," came the simple command from his master. No opinions of his performance were voiced, but he knew he could have done better. That he had to do better than that.

They boy obediently jumped down, only to leap again.

Two days had passed on the Super Star Destroyer's hull and Darth Vader still had two more to spare for training his apprentice without arising anyone's suspicion. Vader had now been supervising Starkiller's training for hours and he could see the boy was beyond exhausted. Yet the child persisted. He was impressed by the Force lightning his young apprentice had managed to create. It was more than he himself was able to do.

But he would never say so out loud. No use making the child feel proud of himself.

Less than ten minutes passed when a black astromech droid suddenly rolled in. Arfour let out a series of quick excited beeps and squeals the moment it noticed its master.

Vader waved his hand at the boy's directions to let Starkiller know he should continue with his leaps. The boy could manage well the height of some of the lowest catwalks, but landing gracefully still needed a lot more practise. The child had a long way ahead of him before he'd be the silent assassin Vader wanted him to be.

"What is it?" he asked, turning his attention to the droid. It was extremely unusual for it to leave the fighter.

The droids holoprojector came to life. A blue hologram hung half a second in the mid-air before the recording started.

"You appear to be busy, my Lord," the helmeted man spoke. "I have some information I know will interest you."

The short message ended, but Arfour left the still picture of Boba Fett linger in the air. The bounty hunter usually contacted him in one sort of occasion only. He had either killed a fugitive Jedi or seen one, and was now looking for his bounty.

"When did this message arrive?"

The astromech beeped apologetically and displayed a time stamp on the holoimage. It stated almost four hours ago. The droid must have been trying to find him ever since as he had temporarily disabled any call signals from the droid. It was useful in a battle situation to receive any written messages, maps or his fighter's current status straight into the helmet's computer, but otherwise just plain annoying.

"Ready my ship."

Arfour beeped eagerly and rolled away.

"Master?"

Starkiller jumped down with a thump, losing his balance a little as his feet hit the floor. "Will you be coming back?"

"I doubt it. Continue until you can do it _silently_. And work that lightning."

The apprentice bowed at him. He could tell the boy felt letdown by the turn of events, but none of his disappointment was audible or visible. He was a devoted student. "Yes, my Master."

Darth Vader followed the droid to the hangar. He would not contact Fett here. The line he used was as secure as possible, but he would take no risks in getting anyone interested in this particular system. Two hours later he dropped out of Hyperspace in the middle of nowhere, far from Scarl. It took a while for the bounty hunter to take his call.

Boba Fett appeared on the small screen unmasked and without any visible piece of his usual trademark Mandalore armour. Wherever he was, it seemed to Vader that the man had been asleep, though none of it was showing on his face. The man looked exactly like any of the thousands of clone troopers he had commanded during the Clone Wars, yet Vader knew this one to be an exception. Instead of genetically modified to be more obedient, Boba Fett was the pure, natural clone of the original DNA-source Jango Fett.

"Lord Vader," the bounty hunter greeted with a nod. "I already thought you weren't interested."

"It depends on the information you have to offer, bounty hunter. Who did you kill?" Vader asked, fully expecting the man to merely want to collect his bounty. Perhaps he had managed to find some survivor of the Jedi Council, such as Shaak Ti, considering Fett had assumed his business might get special interest from Vader. Vader would gladly pay for being rid of her.

"No one yet," Fett said, smirking slightly. "I was assuming the bounty for this individual might be higher if you can have the pleasure of killing him yourself."

"Who?"

Darth Vader knew the answer before he heard it. It felt as if heart had just skipped a beat, but that was, naturally, impossible given the state of his heart.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Vader's fists curled. _Kenobi!_

" _Where is he_?"

Fett wasn't shaken by the tone of his voice. "First I'd like to discuss the price. I understand you have some special interest towards Kenobi. The same as for any Council member plus...one third? How would that sound to you, my Lord?"

"Consider it done." Despite being one of the wealthiest individuals within the Empire's ranks, Darth Vader had little interest in credits. And Obi-Wan was definitely a reasonable investment no matter what his financiers might have said.

"Very gracious of you, my Lord," Fett said with a small bow of his head. He then moved to explain how he had seen the former the Jedi Master in Bestine, Tatooine.

Tatooine, of all the places! Clever, very clever. Obi-Wan would have known it to be a place Darth Vader would never set a foot on.

Fett had first seen Kenobi arguing with a Tydorian shopkeeper across the street. The bounty hunter hadn't paid much attention to the robed man until he'd noticed him trying to use what seemed like a Jedi mind-trick on the Tydorian. It hadn't worked ( _Naturally_ , thought Vader), so after a while the man had left to find another shop. Fett had followed him around from a distance and despite the Jedi Master looking a lot older than in his wanted-posters, he had recognised him as Obi-Wan Kenobi. By evening Kenobi had bought a generator and set off of Bestine with an eopie. Fett wouldn't have been able to follow him to the desert without being noticed, so he hadn't done so, but Kenobi had headed south-west, possibly to Wayfar.

After ending their mainly one-sided conversation, Vader sat for a long while in the silence of the empty space. Every fibre of his very being _ached_ for action, but he knew he would have to contact his master before he could go after his former friend. He feared Sidious might deny him this chance, especially after he would hear on which planet the Jedi had been hiding all these years. If there was anything that would stir up Anakin's memory, it was Tatooine. Darth Vader had no desire to even see the Tatoo system on a map, not to mention actually going to the very planet where Anakin Skywalker had lived and suffered his first years in slavery.

In any case, he would first return to his Star Destroyer Exactor, from where he could get a clear transmission to Coruscant. Or "The Imperial Capital" as Palpatine had dubbed it.

To the credit of his flagship's captain, the man had hurriedly managed to arrange a full line of stormtroopers and officers to welcome him back despite he had not informed them he was arriving early. Vader couldn't care less of the straight, strict lines of soldiers, but the etiquette required it. As far as he was concerned, there probably would have been more important things for them to do.

Darth Vader did not stay to listen the captain report of the past few days. The man smartly took notice of his request to keep the ship ready to leave and to make sure no one would bother him before he had contacted the Emperor –a task that proved to be much more difficult than his patience would have allowed in his current state of mind.

The Emperor took a long while before appearing to the hologram. Darth Vader had first needed to argue with his aides, then wait, argue again and then wait some more. Finally, he had been informed the Emperor would take some time off of his duties to hear what he had to say.

The old man was dressed in a black Sith robe as per usual. He didn't look exactly pleased to see him, but neither did he look irked. All in all, he looked rather bored.

"What is it, Lord Vader?"

"I have news for you, my Master," Vader replied from where he had knelt to wait.

"Could it not have waited until you returned to the Imperial City, my friend?" he asked, and immediately continued as an afterthought: "How is our project in Scarl coming along, by the way? You seem to enjoy the construction site."

"It is on schedule," Vader answered, irritated for his master's immediate small talk.

A hint of an amused smile appeared on the Emperor's face. "I can sense you're getting angry with me already, my friend. Speak it then, if you must," he said, gesturing with his hand. "What is so important that it couldn't have waited?"

"I've found him."

"I beg you pardon, but you must be a little more specific, Lord Vader," Sidious spoke, bringing his eyebrows together a little, but Vader knew the gesture to be faked. The Sith Master had no real interest towards his information. Perhaps he already knew. With his abilities to plan ahead and see the future, often very clearly, he seemed to rarely find any information new or intriguing.

"I've found Kenobi."

"Ah," the old man sighed. "And I take that now you wish to go after him again?"

Vader straightened up a bit. " _This time_ I will finish him."

"Naturally," the Emperor said, looking at something outside the hologram. "I do hope it will not end up in a similar disaster the last time did. Where has he been hiding?"

Vader ignored his master's attempt to taunt him. "On Tatooine," he simply replied.

A thin lipped smile lingered on the Sith Master's face. Several breathing cycles passed until the Emperor spoke again. Vader was now convinced his master had not known of this, nor had he foreseen this.

"Tatooine?" Sidious repeated thoughtfully. "Very perceptive of him, indeed. I wonder why you did not foresee this earlier... After all, it seems rather simple now, doesn't it, my apprentice?"

"All that matters, is that I now know where he is," Vader firmly stated, ignoring again the comments made of him. The Emperor hadn't sensed Kenobi, either, despite always gloating over his ability to foresee everything.

"Yes, yes, of course," Sidious said with a wave of his hand. "Go then, if you must, I have no work for you here. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a galaxy to run."

The connection was cut before Vader could say another word, but all had gone better than expected. He rose and opened the connection to the bridge from his meditation pod.

"Captain. Set our course for Tatooine. I want a shuttle with a speeder be readied for my immediate take-off once we are orbiting the planet."

* * *

Starkiller was bored. The boy lay on his bunk, staring at the ceiling. Ever since Master had suddenly left he had been devoting his time for training as per usual schedule. Up until now.

PROXY's holoprojector had been damaged during their previous battle. The droid had sneaked upon him, but he'd managed to defend himself from the new opponent Master Vader had added to PROXY. Of that he was quite proud. Now the droid had disappeared somewhere to have himself fixed and Starkiller was left on his own.

Starkiller's daily life was ruled by strict routines. Each morning he would wake up at 0500 and do physical exercises with PROXY for two hours before having any breakfast. Eating took only a few minutes. Then he would meditate and afterwards the rest of the morning hours before lunch were dedicated for combat and lightsaber training with PROXY again. Then he would study until 1600. The early evening he used for practicing his Force abilities. After dinner it was combat and lightsaber again. Later, he showered quickly and fell dead asleep almost immediately after hitting the pillow around 2100.

Not every day followed these routines, but it was the basic structure of his life. Darth Vader's visits naturally changed his daily routines drastically, but sometimes he liked to break them himself. Like his isolation experiments or training with interrogation droids. Sometimes he would not eat or sleep for days. An enemy would not wait for him to rest or feed. He would have to be able to act even when at his most vulnerable.

Something like that was what he should have been doing right now. Idle time was a rare nuisance, but even he sometimes felt like just doing nothing, though he hoped he would never have to admit that to Master Vader.

There were several holocrons he could have studied, and a pile of datadiscs and datacards on the small bedside table among with his datapad lay waiting, but he didn't feel like studying anything. Especially not Huttese despite Lord Vader had chided him for his poor speaking abilities of the language. He did understand most of what Master Vader said, he just never knew how to reply. It wasn't like there was anyone here who could chat with him in Huttese. Not that it was an excuse, but...

Starkiller closed his eyes and settled for his favourite way of passing time. Or perhaps it had become his second favourite ever since he'd started practicing the Force lightning. There just was something about the electricity at his command that appealed to him –and it felt oddly natural.

He knew his lightsaber was on the other side of the room where he had left it and he could easily feel it with the Force. They were connected. The weapon was almost like a physical part of him. He could find it eyes closed on the other side of the Star Destroyer.

Slowly and very gingerly he lifted the weapon and let it hang in the air for several seconds. Eyes still closed and not moving a muscle he began slowly spinning his lightsaber in the air while lifting up other objects.

Telekinesis was something he liked to do. Master said he should rather use his spare time for practicing meditation, but Starkiller disliked meditating. Anything requiring very deep concentration and focus like meditating was something he wasn't good at. It was frustrating, how he was supposed to be able to see things while in meditation, but he could never grasp a single image. To Starkiller it was obvious that his talents lay elsewhere.

The boy opened his eyes. Eight different objects and his lightsaber floated in the room. Nine in all. Pretty good!

Frowning in concentration, he added one more datadisc and simultaneously tried to set other objects in slow spinning motion.

Too much and too fast. Too many things to focus on at the same time. He could feel the control slipping through his mental fingers. First came down his boot, then everything crashed on the floor.

Starkiller dived to safe the fragile datadiscs the moment he realised he could no longer hold the items, but his leap was doomed to be a failure. He knocked down his nightstand and landed ungracefully on his stomach while datadiscs, clothes and tools poured down all around him.

"Ow..."

The boy used his arms to push himself up and reached for a 'disc he'd landed on.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, no..."

Starkiller hurried to get his datapad and stuffed the slightly scratched 'disc in.

"Come on...work! Please..."

The 'pad made a whimpering sound and played a large error message on the screen.

"No!"

Desperately the boy gathered rest of the datadiscs and datacards on the floor and tried each of them. Luckily, only the first one had damaged, but that wasn't even nearly lucky enough. He buried his face in his hands.

"Master Vader's going to kill me..."

If not kill, punish at least. Sure, he had been punished quite a few times in his life and each punishment was a valuable lesson, but none of them he wanted to go through again. He'd been tortured, both physically and mentally in the past, he'd been pushed to his very limits and forced to overcome them. Of course, it was all part of his training and necessary for him to master the dark side of the Force. But none of that made it any more pleasant. The dark side wasn't supposed to be pleasant. It was the ultimate power in the universe there was for anyone to posses.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot..." the boy scolded himself, emphasising each word by banging his head to his bent knees.

This particular disc had been about galactic history, and had contained inside information only available to the Sith Order collected from several ancient holocrons into a single file. He had hardly even started with its texts and videos as Lord Vader had had it sent to him only about one standard month ago. He could only hope his master still possessed the original one and this had only been a copy.

Sighing loudly the young apprentice rose and gathered his scattered belongings. Master Vader disliked mess, so the boy always made sure not to make any. It wasn't wise to anger the Dark Lord. It wasn't like his life was worth that much for Master Vader. He knew he wasn't irreplaceable, although he aimed to be. He'd show he was the best Sith apprentice the entire Galaxy had to offer.

If there ever was a time before living here on the Scarl system's secret construction site, Starkiller could not remember it. Perhaps there was no such time. His first clear memories were of Vader and this Star Destroyer. He had given some thought to his origins and had even gone as far as asking his master where he had come from several times during the past years. Depending on his master's mood, the answer had been something between near death and "that does not concern you."

PROXY didn't know, either. Apart from his sophisticated combat simulations, he was a surprisingly simple droid.

"Perhaps Lord Vader assembled you himself, the way he assembled me?" PROXY had suggested.

For all Starkiller knew, the droid might well be right. Maybe he indeed was part of his master's biological experiments. Maybe he had been made in a factory like the clone soldiers. Maybe his master had assembled all the qualities he needed and created what he hoped to be a perfect apprentice. Starkiller wasn't like the clones, though. He had a mind of his own. The clones could not choose whom they served or for what reasons. Probably. He'd never met one, but according to his sources that was what the clone soldiers at least were supposed to be like.

 _But I can_ , he thought. He could make his own choices. And he chose to serve his master. He knew, had he wanted to, he could defy his master. It wouldn't be wise and he would not do so, but unlike a clone, he knew he could do it. A clone would not even consider it. Not that he seriously considered it either, but– Well, the point of it was clear.

A few times he had also entertained the thought that perhaps he had been born the usual way. Maybe he even had parents? But if he did, what had happened to them, where were they now? Why was he with Vader and not them? If he had been born to real parents, did he have a name other than his codename?

Starkiller quickly dismissed such fantasies. He had PROXY to assist him and a Sith Master to look up to. He wouldn't need a name besides his codename until he'd earned his proper Sith name. He had a goal to aim at, his life wasn't a meaningless existence. What else could he possibly need?

Master often said he did not believe Starkiller to be able to survive through his training, but that just made the boy want to try harder, to prove he was worth it. No matter how cruel, how painful or difficult, Starkiller was determined not to let Master Vader down. He'd sworn to himself to never betray his master and to overcome each obstacle there was between him and his final trial: _he_ was to assassinate the Emperor.

Starkiller hated the Emperor with all his heart. Emperor Sheev Palpatine was the only thing standing between his master's plan to take over the throne, rule the Galaxy and make it a just place. No more slavery, no more endless wars, no more discrimination between the alien races, no more political games using the Imperial citizens as pawns...

...or at least that was what Starkiller had gathered from his master's few words and his silence that often spoke louder of his opinions than his voice ever did.

From what he understood, what Lord Vader wanted was simple law and order. From what he'd heard, or rather, not heard, was that his master had nothing against non-Humans and everything against slavery and political games gambling on people's lives. Not that they had ever discussed of any of this. He was allowed to ask, but Master was not inclined to answer. Most of the times he did not, but Starkiller could feel how the ripples of Force sifted around the Dark Lord if he would ask of politics or slaves.

But his master had no real say on these matters as long as Darth Sidious existed. His visions, whatever they were, for what the Galaxy should be like, could not be achieved while the Emperor wished to dominate everyone and everything for his own means. But Lord Vader could not defeat Palpatine on his own, not after he had suffered the injuries he carried. Naturally, Master Vader had never said that, but it must have been why. He knew that while his master was incredibly powerful, Master Vader was also horribly crippled. He was confined in a live supporting suit after all. Through Force Starkiller could feel that his body was full of machinery.

And _that_ was where Starkiller came in. A smile crept on his lips as he thought of what an important part he would have to play in the future. It was an incredible honour to be chosen and taught by Master Vader, to be his secret apprentice. Although Master never called him such, Starkiller had always regarded himself as one.

Sighing, the boy threw himself on the bed. The datapad he'd placed on the table flew to his outreached hand and he grabbed the Huttese datacard. He'd apologise Master Vader once he returned. In Huttese, maybe, to prove he had been studying the language's polite structure which greatly differed from Basic's. Meanwhile, he ought to triple his efforts with everything else.

* * *

Darth Vader was dreaming, although he was not aware of that.

One pale crescent moon shone through the clouds near the horizon. The night air felt warm and no wind disturbed the shallow water he found himself standing in. The only sound here was his own endless breathing and the ripples suddenly disturbing the calm water that were caused by his boots.

Beyond the mist he could see a lone rock. Or rather an egg, as it was round and had no rough edges. _She_ was sitting on the egg, arranging small blue flowers to her hair. More beautiful than he had remembered, dressed in a light, plain blue dress she sat and didn't seem to notice him.

"Padmé..." he choked.

Startled, Padmé turned to his direction. "Anakin..?"

 _Yes, yes!_ he wanted to shout, but the vocoder refused to voice the words his burned larynx attempted to form.

"Anakin?" She dropped gingerly to the water and took couple of quick steps towards him.

"Anakin," she said, now certain and took his hands. She looked frightened. "Quickly, get out of the water. It's dangerous."

She pulled him to the egg and climbed back on it. Her bare feet left no water on the smooth shell.

"Why are you wearing that?" she laughed, reaching in an attempt to remove his helmet and mask.

 _No, don't!_ he wanted to say, but no words left his vocoder. _I can't breathe!_

But the mask was already coming off with a loud hiss that seemed to be swallowed by the shadowy, misty air around them. Padmé dropped the gruesome mask and kissed his lips softly. Vader pulled away and desperately gasped for air. His lungs filled up and he breathed out a painless, natural breath.

Padmé's hand caressed his smooth cheeks that had been scarred just moments ago, looking at him with worry written all over her face. "What's wrong, Ani..?"

Vader couldn't find words, but he didn't have to. Padmé sat down, pulling him down with her. Standing in the water, he leant against the egg and Padmé's lap. She leant her cheek against his head, closing her eyes.

Vader breathed in her intoxicating scent, leaning closer. Her hand would occasionally caress his hair or her lips brush against his skin. They stayed like that, enjoying each other's company in a blissful silence.

Distantly, Vader felt something tugging his gloved hands, but it wasn't enough to wake him from her loving arms.

"Come! Come! Come!"

The voices started as faint, barely audible noise, but soon grew into a sickening cacophony of sounds, calling his name and urging him to leave her.

"COME! COME! COME!"

When Vader opened his eyes he saw the sky was burning red. Black, bird-like creatures with glowing white eyes clawed his hands, arms, legs -anything they could grasp with their claws and pointy, sharp beaks. He tried to fight against the birds, but they were pulling him to the water, away from her.

"Anakin!"

Vader pulled and fought to turn his head. Padmé jumped to the water. Immediately, he knew she shouldn't leave the egg's safety.

"Padmé, no! Get back!"

Too late. More birds appeared, they attacked her and completely surrounded her, drowning her with a sea of black feathers.

"NO! PADMÉ! PADMÉ!"

Vader screamed her name, tried to pull away from the flying beasts, but he wasn't strong enough. She was gone and the egg had shattered into messy pieces.

The birds tore the hair from his head, clawed his cheeks and pecked his arms and legs. They tore apart the clothing, his flesh, then the bone. Vader howled in agony as the birds completely devoured his limbs and he fell into the water when what was left of his legs were ripped off. Desperately, he tried to keep his head above the surface. The water he coughed from his lungs tasted like blood and seared like acid.

He was pulled underwater. The hellish noise the birds were making died down as he was being pulled deeper and deeper, until he could no longer see the light from the moon nor the blazing scarlet sky. His lungs burned in need of air as the darkness entirely surrounded him and the last dim light from above disappeared. The blackness pressed around him, suffocated and enclosed him in. It was _him_. Vader wailed as _his_ oppressing presence cradled him, poisoning his veins with icy coldness. And then, he couldn't even scream. Only breathe.

Breathe, breathe and breathe.

Endlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cheesy dream is totally a homage to a wonderful piece of art called 'Vader's Dream - A Visitation From Padmé ("I will safe-keep your good heart, Dear One, until you are ready for its return")' by Kirk Reinert. It's one of my favorite pictures from Star Wars Visions art book.


	6. II

The Jedi was tall, taller than PROXY actually was. He was a Human, had a long, dark brown hair and a beard. Starkiller had no idea who he had been, but he was pretty good compared to his own level. Maybe he'd ask PROXY later, once he'd survived this. 'Pretty good' was definitely an understatement.

PROXY and his blue lightsabre were forcing him to back down in the corridor, making it hard to switch from defensive to offensive. He needed an opening, but there were none, so all he could do was to parry the blade the best he could. If he couldn't find a way to attack or disarm him soon, he would rely on Force push. It wasn't his first choice by no means. It felt like cheating against his Force-blind droid companion, even though PROXY was quite good at mimicking some of the Force abilities.

Their duel wasn't a planned one, not that they usually were. PROXY would attack whenever his tactical computer thought it'd be a good moment to surprise the apprentice. Sometimes he'd attack repeatedly during one day, sometimes he would wait around a week before the next attempt. No place or no time of the day was safe for Starkiller, but that was good. It forced him to stay alert at all times. Just one mistake from his part and he would be dead. Unlike PROXY, who could be repaired, that'd be the end for Starkiller.

This Jedi relied on the form II, Makashi. He himself had specifically asked the droid if he had any Makashi practitioners to fight against, since it was a style he wasn't very familiar with yet. It gave PROXY a great advantage which had led to the current situation.

Starkiller's own fighting style didn't really follow any specific style. Master Vader encouraged him to create his own style, to be random and impulsive, to make use of the best of each form. Although he still was far from mastering any of the forms, he had found his favourites to specialize in. Like his Master, he preferred form V, also known as Shien and Djem So. Unlike Vader, though, Starkiller liked the reverse grip. He still couldn't say if his Master saw this more as a positive or a negative thing, but it worked for him.

Juyo, a variation of form VII was also high on his list, but when forced on defense like now, he switched to use the little he knew of Soresu. Out of the seven classic lightsabre forms the Jedi used, it was the best for defense, were it a blaster or a lightsabre the enemy was wielding.

PROXY's current training module had some pretty neat moves he hadn't fought against before. Once this was over, he'd have to ask the droid to show them again. Particularly the one that nearly sliced his head off. He was fairly certain that the collar of his shirt must have sustained some damage.

Starkiller dodged the 'sabre aimed to severe his arm, taking yet another step back. He grit his teeth. PROXY was attempting to wear him off. He'd have to turn the tables, since the droid could go on forever whereas he himself would get tired eventually and he definitely _wasn't_ in the mood for that. He wanted to get the laundry done like he had been about to when PROXY had attacked him. And because of his own improvised form of defense before he had reached his lightsabre, he probably had a lot of sewing to do later. That, or he'd just outright have to ask for new clothing. He cringed at the idea.

He had already several times attempted to get more distance between himself and the Jedi hologram, but so far no such luck. PROXY kept pressing closer and closer, but when the corridor behind him finally intersected, he had what he needed.

He somersaulted behind the corner, away from the droid, simultaneously giving him a light Force push. PROXY's Jedi slid backwards, giving the apprentice a few extra metres of distance. The droid recovered quickly and came after him, but it was enough for Starkiller. He sprinted, aiming for PROXY's head, but right before the 'sabres would have met, he dropped on his knees and slid past the droid. Before PROXY was able to turn around, Starkiller had stabbed him in the back.

The hologram failed and the droid sunk on the floor. His photoreceptors flickered off and back on for a few times before the system was fully back online again.

“Excellent duel, master!” PROXY exclaimed. He appeared fully intact and functional to the apprentice's relief.

Starkiller helped the droid up and grinned. “Yeah, you almost had me there.”

“I'm sorry I've failed you again.”

“You'll get other chances” he said, putting the lightsabre away. “Come on, we need to clean that mess in the laundry room... Actually, I have a better idea.”

PROXY tilted his head slightly, but said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

“It's equally your fault, so...” he inhaled and spoke the next words really quickly, ready to run: “Last one at the hangar bay does the laundry –HEY!”

PROXY took off already at the 'hangar bay' and was half way across the corridor when Starkiller dashed to catch him. There were a lot of slow droids in the galaxy, but PROXY certainly wasn't one of them.

“False start!” he accused, catching up relatively quickly, though PROXY didn't let him pass.

“No such thing between the Sith, master”, he heard PROXY comment.

Starkiller just grunted in response. He had said hangar bay instead of the laundry room, since it was closer to their location and also closer to where he kept his stuff. That way he could grab something to eat before seeing if any his clothes were still to be saved.

They ran to the hangar almost side by side, but PROXY still managed to keep his lead.

“Looks like you get to clean your own mess yourself, master”, the droid said, clearly pleased with himself.

“You cheated”, Starkiller protested, but it was hard to not smile at the situation.

“No, I took advantage of the fact you thought I would wait until you'd finished your challenge”, the droid simpered. “Don't the Sith do exactly that?”

“Uh, so now you're turning this into a lesson. Besides, you're a droid, not a Sith.”

“Neither are you. And it is part of my programming to assist you, master.”

Starkiller couldn't argue, so instead he made a small huffing sound and turned to examine their surroundings. The hangar was relatively small compared to some of the enormous docking bays the Star Destroyer had under construction. It was big enough to hold five or six small ships, but currently the dark grey _Rogue Shadow_ was alone. The ship looked small and lonely in the empty space.

“You'll still help me, right?”

“My fingers are not made for sewing”, PROXY said, seemingly slightly insulted at the idea.

Starkiller snorted, but let it go. Deal's a deal.

The _Rogue Shadow_ was a beautiful custom made ship equipped with laser cannons, good shielding, advanced sensor arrays, cloaking device and the fastest sublight engines the Empire had to offer. It had a fully functioning medical bay, crew quarters for eight (but needed only one pilot), training room and a workshop, and it was constantly updated.

It was his to use whenever his Master gave him a mission, but currently lacked a pilot. He could fly a little himself and he knew it throughly in and out, but his flying didn't yet match a trained pilot. Besides, it would have been almost impossible for him to both chauffeur _and_ undergo his training missions. He needed a skilled and capable pilot to keep the _Rogue Shadow_ out of the harm's way and ready to leave without notice. Unfortunately 'skilled and capable' weren't so easy to find. His previous pilot, his second so far even though he hadn't been allowed to go on missions for that long, had been executed right before his eyes.

The pilot had been both skilled and capable, but unfortunately also too curious and greedy for his own good. He had eventually figured out Starkiller was more than a weird child assassin. Starkiller still condemned himself for not realising it himself. He had been nearly as shocked as the pilot himself was when Darth Vader strangled the life out of him. He hadn't asked, just waited on his knee until the pilot had dropped dead on the hangar floor.

“He was planning on betraying us”, his Master had said. His voice had been as neutral as ever, but Starkiller knew he had failed by not seeing it himself. He supposed not being sent on any new missions ever since was his punishment –among with the three-day training of 'surviving interrogation'. He had screamed his voice hoarse, but he had not given in under the physical torture easily. To Vader's mind probes he had been no match yet, and his Master had quite easily obtained the information he had been protecting: just a series of random numbers and names of planets PROXY had made him remember for the exercise. It had been a nightmarish experience, but one that taught him a lot. It encouraged him to further seek his limits with interrogation droids and long term mental torture techniques like sleep deprivation or isolation.

His first pilot had died on a mission and Starkiller had nearly lost his life as well, but even when nearly mortally wounded, with sheer determination, he had been able to fly the _Rogue Shadow_ back and deliver his report to Lord Vader. He had been ten.

It wasn't supposed to have been a dangerous or difficult mission. Just an easy assassination. Get in, kill the target, get out. But he had made a mistake and things had gone horribly wrong. If there was anything to say in his defence, at least he had managed to kill all the witnesses. Most of them had been stormtroopers, but some had been innocent Imperial citizens.

The place was left into absolute chaos, but Master Vader didn't need to do any clean-up after him. He ended up feeling very humiliated, but grateful as well for getting to keep his life. He remembered sitting in the cockpit, staring into the blue haze of Hyperspace with PROXY trying to tend his wounds, while all he could think of was that the only thing awaiting him at home was execution. Why care of the wounds?

In the end, he had been wrong of the execution, but for a while it had almost felt worse to have been left alive after such blunder. He had _killed_ his own. Imperials who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or were merely doing their job as they were supposed to. He had failed.

Vader never commented on it and Starkiller was glad for that. At the time he had felt horrible, but he now realised that sometimes civilians had to be sacrificed for a greater cause. Unfortunately the realisation didn't make him feel any less bad about it. It had still been because of his mistake. Every single Imperial life lost because of him felt like a personal failure.

He had been only two years younger, but it felt like he'd been a completely different person at the time. He had shed a lot of the childlike feelings he had had at the time.

Master Vader hadn't said a word to him after he had described the events and no punishment had immediately came. After Master had left, he had cried. Just the mere thought of it disgusted him now. He had been _so much_ weaker. PROXY had attempted to soothe him like he'd done many times in the past, but Starkiller had been so angry and humiliated he had shut the droid down.

A week later, Master had returned, but not alone. He had brought thirteen people with him, which was unheard of. No people were allowed to the Super Star Destroyer. But Starkiller hadn't said anything, just knelt down the way he was supposed to and waited.

Somehow, Lord Vader's order had not surprised him.

“Kill the child before he kills you.”

The men had hesitated, which had given Starkiller an advantage of reducing their numbers by three before any of them had time to properly act. Then they'd started shooting. It was almost like the failed mission all over again.

His Master had stood and watched at the sidelines of the battle. When he struck the last man down, he was shaking. Not of fear or fatigue –he was shaking because of the incredible power and connection to the Dark Side he'd suddenly felt. His wounds hadn't yet fully healed and now he had a new one in his shoulder, but he had barely even noticed it. The failure, the humiliation, the anger... It all had fuelled him to bend the Force to his will.

For a few seconds he had stood there panting, staring at the mask of his Master, almost as if challenging him. Daring him to kill him.

Then Vader had nodded and the spell had been broken.

“Dispose of the bodies”, Master had ordered, returned to the unfamiliar ship he'd arrived in and left. It had taken Starkiller the rest of the day to drag the bodies, one by one, to an escape pod. He'd set the course for the nearest sun.

Looking at the _Rogue Shadow_ now reminded him of both of his failures. The boy cringed at the thought. He wished Master would send him on a new mission, so that he could show he wouldn't fail again.

“Do you think we could take her on a small flight?” he spoke, not turning back at PROXY. The laundry could wait a little longer. “Just around the hull?”

“I don't see why not”, PROXY said, shrugging with his narrow metallic shoulders. Starkiller did not know, but mimicking the most used gestures within the Empire was actually one of his primary programmings. A child living such an isolated life couldn't learn them from anywhere else. “Lord Vader never forbade it.”

“But I still don't have a pilot and he's not giving me new missions”, Starkiller said, kicking the nonexistent dust on the floor. “Master can see the beings' intentions and desires so easily. Why can't I?”

“That is why _you_ are the learner and Lord Vader is the Master.”

“I'll be a master, too”, he said angrily. “I'll kill the Emperor and _earn_ my Sith name.”

“I'm sure you will”, the droid agreed. “Should I prepare the _Rogue Shadow_ for take-off?”

The apprentice shook his head and grinned at the droid. “I'll do it.”

 

* * *

 

Naboo had been Anakin's favourite planet ever since he'd first seen it from the space. Lush green forests and sparkling blue lakes and oceans covered most of the planet. The Naboo architecture was stunningly beautiful and he had admired the elegant, blue dome roofs of Theed, so unlike anything on Tatooine or even Coruscant. But even the beauty of Theed paled in comparison to the Lake Country and the Varykino island.

Varykino Villa was where Vader found himself tonight. In his dream, it was dusk. The setting sun coloured the lake and mountains with peaceful orange hues. A flock of waterbirds swam quietly near the shoreline and a gentle wind played with the edges of his cape.

Padmé was there, too. She stood on the balcony, facing the lake. She was wearing the lavender blue nightgown she'd worn during their last nights together on Coruscant. Vader walked to her, ran his hand on the pearl laces before gingerly pulling her into his arms. She leant back into his chest silently, gently rubbing her pregnant belly.

She had come here to fix the baby's room and left the politics. They'd agreed on it. And in turn, Vader had decided to leave Palpatine and the Empire, so that he could be with Padmé and the child.

“There is no child”, she suddenly whispered. Her voice came hoarse and rasping as she continued: “Ani, my baby is gone.”

Her hand suddenly tightened around his wrist and she swung around abruptly, causing Vader to jolt backwards in surprise. The smell of sulfur and molten rock was suddenly everywhere. It was hot. The heat of lava around them made him sweat, but her touch was so cold he had to wrench his hand away.

Padmé lurched towards him, attempting to throw herself back into his arms. Her corpse with flowers on her hair reached out to him with a mad smile on her lips.

“All I want is your love”, she spoke. The flesh was hanging loose on her once so beautiful face. Her dead eyes looked at him from deep inside of her eye sockets. Blood ran on her cheeks like tears.

“No...” Vader choked, unable to move. He wanted to tell her to not come any closer, to order her to stay away, to not touch him with her rotten hands.

“You did this to me”, she reminded. “You did this to yourself.”

Vader wanted to back away, to run for his life, but he couldn't. His mechanical legs felt heavy, as if they were bolted to the landing pad they stood on. She came closer, reaching out for him and Vader futilely tried to jerk away from her touch. Her fingers that ran across his cheek felt cold as ice and rough like Tatooine sand.

“I'm sorry, Padmé, please...” he whimpered. “I'm sorry!”

 _“You did this to me!”_ she shrieked, grabbing his throat between her inhumanly strong hands. Vader tried to push her away, desperately trying to gasp for air, but her grip of death held.

He drew the lightsabre from his belt and rammed the red blade through her pregnant stomach. She gasped and stumbled backwards, finally letting go. She gaped at him while trying to cover the hole with her bare hands. Bloody water flowed between her fingers and tainted her brown tunic.

“Obi-Wan was right”, she noted unemotionally, her glassy eyes fixed somewhere far away. “Obi-Wan's been so good to me. He never hurt me...”

She turned to look at her husband again. “He came and told me what you did. He said you killed younglings. He said you turned to the Dark Side.”

“Don't talk of Obi-Wan! You're with him, aren't you!? You always were!” he screamed, lashing again and again with the Sith weapon until Padmé's corpse finally fell lifelessly on the marble floor of Varykino Villa.

Somebody behind him let a small gasp and when he turned around, the lightsabre flew from his hands to the hands of a small boy. The child held the red blade clumsily, not quite knowing what to do with it, now that he had it. His wide eyes looked from him to Padmé and back.

“You killed her”, young Starkiller accused. “Father, you killed her.”

“ _You_ are _not_ my son!” Darth Vader roared furiously. “YOU ARE NOT MY SON!”

He held out his leather clad arm, clutching the air. Starkiller, now the twelve year old version of him, kicked futilely the air when the floor disappeared under him. He didn't let a sound when Vader ran the lightsabre through his heart. The body fell on the floor with a satisfying thud, leaving him standing alone in the sudden darkness beside a river of searing lava.

“You're not alone”, Obi-Wan's voice came behind him.

“Obi-Wan...” Anakin hissed back, ready to activate his lightsabre.

“I have failed you”, his Master said mournfully, glancing at the group of deceased Jedi that had gathered around them. More of them slowly emerged from the shadows as he spoke.

“You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you”, he whispered. “But I will not save you.”

Anakin attempted to attack the Jedi, adults and younglings alike, but he no longer had legs or arms. All he could do was to lie on the scalding rock and try to crawl away from the dead with his remaining artificial arm. The smoke entering his lungs made him cough and his eyes water. The pain alone nearly knocked him unconscious, yet at the same time, the pain was the only thing that allowed him stay sane and focused. The pain was what kept him alive.

A Jedi walked to him, towering over his smoldering body. He tried to back away from her as soon as he saw her.

 _“Traitor”_ a young Togruta hissed between her rotten lips. Half of her left montral was missing and her skin was peeling away.

“No...”

“Traitor”, the wall of corpses behind her echoed, slowly closing in.

“No..!”

“Traitor!”

“Nooooooo!”

 

* * *

 

The new generator worked like a dream. It was very silent and didn't heat up the small cellar as much as the previous one had. And a junk dealer in Anchorhead had actually paid him a little for the old one. All in all, Ben Kenobi was very pleased with how things had turned out. And after seeing Luke well and in good spirits, he'd felt he had perhaps been worrying over nothing despite the memories of Anakin suddenly haunting him so. Perhaps it was just his own guilt talking and nothing else.

Even so, that night, after both of the suns had set hours ago, Ben slept restlessly. He wasn't sure if it was Anakin or the HoloNet news he'd watched that bothered him more, but eventually he was way too frustrated to sleep. He was about to get up and make himself some tea, when a sudden premonition hit him hard, making him feel physically ill for a split second. It was over as suddenly as it had started, but it was enough for the former Jedi to know the Force was giving him a warning. The moment he realised this, the threat revealed itself. A familiar, yet awfully twisted and different presence washed over him, suffocating and dyeing the Force pitch-black.

Darth Vader had entered the Tatoo system. He could almost see the Star Destroyer pulling out from the Hyperspace somewhere behind the gas giants Ohann and Andriana that shared the binary star system with Tatooine. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the strong Force presence dimmed into the background. It was still there, ominously lurking in the shadows somewhere far away, but it didn't dominate it anymore like it had for a brief second.

Panic was the next emotion to wash over him. Had Vader found out about Luke? There were only two persons outside Tatooine who knew of the child. Master Yoda would have never given away the secret. But Bail...if Bail Organa had been captured and tortured it was possible. Leia, Leia would be in danger as well!

 _No_ , the voice of reason within him said. There shouldn't be any reason for Bail to have been arrested. They had agreed to not draw attention to themselves. Even if Bail still was the senator of Alderaan, he wouldn't do anything that would put him in a situation where the Empire would suspect his loyalties. At least Ben hoped he wouldn't. Besides, Ben would know, should something happen to Leia. The Force would warn him.

Ben closed his eyes and drew a deep breath in attempt to calm himself. It was reasonable to assume Darth Vader indeed was in Tatoo system. However, that did not mean he would personally arrive to Tatooine. As Qui-Gon's spirit had reassured him when he had first learned Vader was alive, it was extremely unlikely for him to ever set his feet on Tatooine again. The planet represented all the things that caused him pain.

There was no logical reason for Ben to believe Luke would be in danger. From the little he knew of Vader by occasionally following HoloNet channels and chatting with locals in Anchorhead, he knew the man was known to sometimes take part in tasks that did not necessarily require his presence, such as spice raids or routine trade route observations. Tatooine was full of criminals, so it was entirely possible for Darth Vader to have been present when a part of the Imperial fleet had started chasing, say, pirates. Even if this was the case, there would be no reason for the Sith to land on the desert planet himself. Quite likely, the armoured more-machine-than-a-man would rather send someone else, were there need to do so.

Ben had sensed Vader's presence overwhelmingly for a brief second, but he doubted his own presence to have been noticed. Ever since taking Luke he had turned himself off in the Force and was doing the same for the child until he could do so himself. They shouldn't seem any different from the Force-blind people even in the eyes of a powerful Force user such as Darth Vader, unless one knew what and where to look for.

Drawing a deep breath, Ben sat down. Eyes closed, he listened to the Force for an advice. He couldn't feel any immediate danger.

The Lars-family would be sleeping at this hour. For a while he pondered whether he should inform them or not, but eventually decided against it. The Force was steady now, after the momentary Dark Side shock wave. Also, the Force seemed to give him a strict “no” when he tried to figure whether Vader knew of Luke or not.

Anyhow, he would not try to sleep more tonight. He would meditate and monitor the situation, ready to leave with a tiniest mark of approaching danger. Ben glanced at the uncovered window and to the dark starry sky. Somewhere out there was Darth Vader.

 

* * *

 

Captain Ophay of the Star Destroyer _Exactor_ snapped to attention as Lord Darth Vader stepped to the bridge. Some five minutes ago he had commed his commanding officer to inform him of their arrival as per requested. Unfortunately, the Emperor's right-hand man didn't seem to be on a good mood despite they had arrived earlier than anticipated. Not that this was anything new to him.

“My Lord, we have arrived to Tatoo system”, he announced unnecessarily.

“How long until we orbit the planet?”

The Captain turned to the consoles for an exact answer.

“52 minutes, my Lord”, a younger officer replied.

Turning to the large panorama windows, Vader did not acknowledge the officer. Ophay slightly shook his head to the man, who looked relieved to return back to his work. Moving to his post, the Captain couldn't help but to wonder why they'd come here. A Jedi perhaps? The Dark Lord definitely seemed moodier than usual.

Three days ago, Darth Vader had arrived unannounced two days early from his private business. After talking to the Emperor, Vader had ordered the Exactor here, to Tatooine.

Ophay had never even heard of such a planet and neither had anyone else on the bridge. After some research by the crew, he had learned it to be an Outer Rim planet in Arkanis sector. It was a desert world orbiting two stars with a very small habitable area on the Northern hemisphere and was mainly controlled by the Hutts, but had an Imperial outpost. It was also a notable transshipment point for illegal goods, almost in the middle of the so called 'Spice Triangle'. Its location was ideal for smuggling, since it was in the Outer Rims, in the crossroads of three Hyperspace routes: Triellus Trade Route, Old Corellian Run and The Crystal Passage. Curiously, it was also less than a parsec from Geonosis, the original stage of the Clone Wars.

“Is my shuttle ready?” Vader suddenly asked.

“Yes, my Lord. All the maps and information concerning the planet have also been uploaded to the shuttle's main computer. It is a desert planet with a very small population, but–”

“I know, Captain.”

The man was taken aback briefly by his superiors interruption, but regained his composure immediately. “Very well, my Lord. Is there anything else you require?”

“No. I will return within 48 hours and we will then rendezvous with the fleet at Dressel.”

“Understood.”

Nodding slightly, Vader turned around and left the bridge. Captain Ophay was a competent man, but a bold one at times as well. The man must have sensed the state of his mind, because normally he would have been likely to question the purpose of this detour.

Vader made his way towards the hangars, ignoring the greetings from the staff he encountered. He was on a sour mood despite the fact he was finally going to get even with Obi-Wan. His limbs had ached from where the prosthetics met the raw skin ever since he'd got up and he hadn't been able to sleep peacefully. A nightmare, no doubt. He couldn't remember what he'd dreamt of, but he'd woken up panicked and harrowed, his organic body covered in cold sweat.

Sleeping was something he had distantly disliked ever since he'd left Tatooine for the first time. Nightmares had been his constant companions during his teenage years, but oddly enough, had mostly left him while the Clone Wars raged. After abandoning that life, the nightmares had returned. Not even the Dark Side of the Force was able to hold the dreams back. The only difference was that he had learned to treat them like regular dreams. Once he woke up, he could rarely remember anything concerning his nightmares.

He pushed aside the thoughts as he arrived to the hangar. A shuttle had been prepared for him as per to his orders. A group of mechanics greeted him, ready to oversee any further requests he might have. Four TIE-fighter pilots stood nearby dressed in their full gear, save the helmets they still had tugged under their arms. The men snapped to attention as he approached.

“Lord Vader, we're ready for escort”, a blond haired man closest to him announced.

Vader frowned behind his mask. He had ordered only a shuttle to be prepared. Sometimes over competent people could be nearly as bad as incompetent. “I do not require escorts.”

The men looked surprised, but none of them protested. “Yes, sir.”

“Dismissed”, he said, striding past the pilots, leaving the slightly disappointed men behind. Getting to escort Lord Vader would have been so much better than any regular patrol duty.

A pilot and a co-pilot had also been arranged to fly him to Tatooine, but Vader quickly sent them away as well. Flying was too much fun for him to miss an opportunity to do the piloting himself. The moment _Exactor_ had stopped over Tatooine, Vader sent out a request for an immediate take-off to the flight control. The clearance came instantly. The standard Lambda shuttle rose smoothly and after passing through the magnetic field he accelerated towards the planet underneath.

It had been a long time since he had last flown a ship over the endless barren lands of his home-planet. A crash-landing, he recalled. In another life, with a new-found Togruta apprentice and an ill Huttlet. Coming back here was certainly a _bad_ idea. Memories he hadn't remembered for nearly a decade started to surface each passing second as the shuttle neared the line where the night became morning.

The _Exactor_ had stopped to orbit the planet on it's current day side on the northern hemisphere. Most of the settlements, however, were currently still on the night side. Vader took his time, despite hating what he saw. Nevertheless, the planet still bore some bizarre feeling of home. Instead of anger he'd expected to feel by coming here, an odd melancholy filled him. It was on this planet he'd drudged in slavery, where he'd first podraced, where he'd left his mother and where she had died in the hands of Tusken Raiders. A planet he'd sworn to never return again.

Gritting his teeth, Vader tried to shook the memories off. They weren't his memories. They belonged to Anakin –and Anakin was dead. Vader did not have any feelings for Tatooine.

The engines whined delightfully as he sped the shuttle up. The morning light turned into night's darkness. Pale moons shone on the cloudless sky as the lone shuttle flew high above the deserts and canyons. Flying south-west, he avoided Mos Espa. Still, he could see the city lights glowing in the dark. It was now nearly the darkest hour before dawn on this part of Tatooine.

Bestine's lights shone brighter than Mos Espa's had. Momentarily, Vader considered landing the shuttle there. By leaving it there to the Imperial outpost, he could avoid the risk of Jawas or Tuskens stealing or breaking it while he was away, but he didn't want to attract attention, which he was bound to do were he seen on streets of Tatooine's capital. Eventually, he landed on the rocky area near where the Jundland Wastes turned into the merciless Western Dune Sea.

It was strange to step out and not feel the coldness of the desert night. He regarded at the night sky for a long while. The night vision of his helmet had turned on automatically and was tainting everything green, making it impossible to see the stars. An annoying change to the usual red tint he'd grown used to. Not that he could have seen them with it, either. He stretched out his senses to the canyons, rocky hills and the desert with the Force, searching for a sign of his former teacher.

Although somewhat prepared, suddenly encountering Obi-Wan's Force signature after so many years managed to startle the Sith Lord. Brief the contact might have been, he now knew for certain the man indeed was on the planet. A familiar, burning rage surged from within him the split moment their severed bond was reconnected temporarily. And he knew Obi-Wan had felt it, too.

 

* * *

 

Ben nearly dropped the saddle when Vader's presence suddenly brushed against his mental shields for a mere second. The eopie let out a distressed cry, sensing her master's changed mood.

“It's all right”, the man muttered to the animal. “Everything is going to end soon, one way or another.”

Ben tightened the leather straps and hopped on. He wasn't sure he could win against Darth Vader. Many had tried, even Jedi better than himself, he'd heard. All of them had failed. The rumours told of tens of Jedi against one Sith Lord. Knowing the fighter Vader had once been, there bound to be some truth in those rumours.

He had not alerted the Lars-family. There hadn't really been any time and he didn't want to take unnecessarily risks. Were he to show any interest towards them, Vader might investigate it. As for now, the Sith Lord should have no reason to go there. Vader's mental probe at him was a proof that he was what the Sith was after. And it was safe to assume Darth Vader knew exactly who he was looking for. If he hadn't, he did now. Ben just wished he could keep his thoughts and fears from his former apprentice. If anything were to happen to Luke...

_“He would never go there, Obi-Wan. It would only bring back the painful memories he wants to avoid.”_

Ben involuntarily clutched the reins harder at the voice. A voice that was there and yet wasn't. “Are you sure? What if he wants to pay a visit to his mother's grave, now that he's here?”

 _“Anakin might want to do that, but the Vader side of him would not allow it”_ , Qui-Gon reassured him.

“I hope you're right”, Ben sighed despite he felt Qui-Gon was already gone. During the past years, Qui-Gon's spirit had been his guide into the Force. It seemed, though, that the time was passing differently for the dead and his old Master would come and go without a warning. As the years had passed, the intervals between his visits had gotten longer and longer.

Ben allowed himself one more longing glance at the hut, before bracing himself and urging the animal to move. There was no point in trying to avoid the upcoming battle, so he headed almost straight towards the dark presence. Last time he had failed. Today, he could not make the same mistake. Today, Vader would have to die.


	7. III

A lone speederbike drove between the rocky pillars and accelerated through the narrow canyons. Despite of the already deadly speed, the man in the handles urged the vehicle to go faster. The wind played violently with his black cape, but Darth Vader hardly even noticed it. He enjoyed the speed and the deadly stunts no other Human alive could pull out. At times the rocks were only mere centimetres from ripping apart his legs or the speeder itself. He hadn't had a chance to race like this in a while and he enjoyed it, despite finding Obi-Wan being the fuel that drove him.

The rocks ended and he was suddenly out in the Western Dune Sea. The sand flew high up behind him as he accelerated the machine once again. It was still quite dark, although first of the suns already lightened up the horizon behind him. With the Force guiding him, he didn't need to drive for long before he saw a profile of an eopie with somebody riding the animal.

_Obi-Wan..._

Ben saw the enormous cloud of sand in the light of rising suns before he could see the speeder itself. Or the man driving it. He could feel him nonetheless.

“I suppose this is where our ways part”, he talked to the animal and got down. Encouraging the animal to continue alone, Ben walked away from her. Hopefully she would find her way somewhere safe.

Ben had chosen the desert to be where he would face Darth Vader. Vader had the advantage in size and raw strength, but Ben was willing to bet himself to move faster on the sand. Having that much steel in his body ought to slow the Sith down at least a little. There would also be nothing here that Vader could throw at him –an attack he'd heard Vader to favour. Possibly because he was a show-off.

The speeder closed in fast.

 _There is no emotion, there is peace..._ Ben inhaled deeply, reaching into the Force to calm his mind so that when the speeder passed him and the Sith Lord leaped at him, screaming his old name, he was ready. Blue blade against the red, the two men fought with an exhausting speed for several seconds until parting away from each other after a Force powered blow.

They regarded each other from apart, neither of them never lowering his lightsabre. It was shocking to finally see with his own eyes what Darth Vader had become. In many ways, Ben was glad of the black armour covering the Sith from head to toe, for he would not have wanted to see what physical scars his actions had caused. The sickening image of Vader's burning form made him shudder under his robes. If he'd survive this, he was sure the empty, consistent sound of _breathing_ would haunt him forever.

“We meet at last, Obi-Wan”, Vader finally spoke. Even the way he did it had changed. His pronunciation was clear and steady, the rhythm of his voice slower than it used to. His voice was deeper and darker, it was _nothing_ like Anakin's had been. “After all these years I've searched, of all the places in the galaxy, I find you _here_.”

Ben couldn't help himself, but to attempt to lighten the mood: “Yes, it was a pretty clever place to hide, wasn't it?” he nearly grinned at the Sith.

He could hear Vader tightening his leather clad fists around the lightsabre hilt. “It's only appropriate that our story should end where it began.”

“Perhaps”, Ben allowed. “Although, it should have never come to this. I may have failed to destroy you nine years ago, but I cannot let the same happen today”, he said, mainly to remind himself of how crucial it was that Vader would truly die this time. “This _will_ end today.”

Despite the machine-made voice, Ben could _hear_ the triumphed smirk in Vader's voice as he surged an attack. “My thoughts exactly.”

The sheer raw strength of Vader's every strike managed to surprise Ben. Although he did remember how Anakin's right hand had gotten a lot stronger after it had been replaced with machinery, this was more than he had expected. To be honest, clad in his black, bulky durasteel armour, Darth Vader had looked rather clumsy and slow to him, and he had been gravely mistaken by assuming the first assault had been the best the Sith had to offer. His fighting did not seem to fully follow any known lightsabre form nor did it resemble Anakin's style. It was an odd and unexpected personalised mishmash, apparently mainly some extremely ruthless version of Djem So, supported mostly by Ataru and Soresu. Vader had obviously found a way to make the most out of his armour and prosthetics. Every single one of his blows were strong enough to nearly disarm Ben.

He couldn't go on like this for long. Parrying the red, monstrous lightsabre made him feel like his arms would dislocate.

“Padmé would not have wanted this”, he snapped, attempting to distract Vader and make him back down. A mistake, as he came to notice immediately.

“Don't say _that_ name!” Vader howled and attacked him in rage, even more fiercely than before, if possible. “You turned her against me! You made my wife betray me!”

 _Wife?!_ Ben had never realised things between her and Anakin had been so serious. A love affair for a Jedi was serious enough, but that he could still understand from his own experience. But children? And to actually get _married_? When had that happened? When had things between him and Anakin turned so bad he had failed to notice? He would probably never know, try as he might.

Darth Vader's attacks were brutal, each one of them forcing Ben to back down. He knew he couldn't avoid the deathly lightsabre forever –and yet he could not bring himself to properly attack. No matter how much he had made Anakin and Vader to be separate persons in his mind, now, at the moment of truth, the two personas would merge back together. In Vader's Force signature, although horribly scarred and burnt to almost unrecognisable, deep beneath the darkness, Ben could still see the parts that had once made him Anakin.

“I am truly sorry it had to become to this”, he said softly between the lethal strikes of the glowing weapons. “And I am sorry for leaving you. I should have killed you while I had the chance. It would have been merciful.”

“Sorry?” Vader paused in mid-attack. “No, you aren't sorry, not yet. You have no idea of the hell I've been through because of you. _This_ is not even living”, he snarled, waving his arm in frustration.

“But I've waited for this moment, Kenobi. This time I'll finish you.”

Ben barely managed to escape from the red blades path. _Get a hold of yourself!_ he ordered himself.

_You can't avoid him forever. You must protect Luke!_

Before he could stop himself, an image of the boy formed in his mind. The need to protect what was left of Anakin and Padmé filled his heart for a mere moment, but it did not go unnoticed by Vader.

“Your thoughts betray you, old man!” the Sith cyborg daunted in triumph. “Who are you hiding?”

“Only myself” the Jedi replied, just narrowly parrying Vader's attack. He had overestimated himself. The Sith wasn't too far from the truth by calling him old. He had gotten older and he had not properly trained for years.

“No. There is someone else”, the Sith said slowly, pausing and seemingly looking somewhere far away, as in sniffing the air for a clue. It would have been a good moment for an attack, but Ben hesitated. “Someone far more powerful than you.”

An odd sense of déjà vu hit Vader. Image of Kento Marek flashed before his eyes when he said the words almost identical to the words he'd said on Kashyyyk the day he'd found Starkiller. He had imagined the powerful presence to belong to Marek's Master, only to find that the person who had managed to take his lightsabre had been a mere child. This time, he knew it could not be a master.

Turning sharply his attention back to the Jedi he lifted his 'sabre for an attack. “Where is your apprentice?”

“I don't have an apprentice, _Darth_ ”, Ben said, holding his weapon in defence. As a second thought, he added more lightheartedly: “Really, ask anyone. I've lived alone for the last nine years.”

“You've never been a good liar, _Master_ ”, Vader said, stressing the last word mockingly, angered by the man's attempted humour. “I can feel your padawan's presence. Your powers are not enough to hide it now that your thoughts have guided me to the right direction.”

Ben lowered his weapon. “I am not lying, I never have. Not to you.”

“Never?! Lying is all the Jedi ever did to me.”

“Palpatine's the one lying! Why can't you see it?!” Ben yelled, surprising even himself by the amount of anger he suddenly felt. Attempting to gain control over it, he added much calmer: “He always knew how to play you, didn't he? And now you've become too twisted to see through his lies.”

Behind his mask, Vader smirked. _If you only knew, Obi-Wan..._ Getting to see from close how Palpatine truly was had given Vader a whole new perspective of the man. But Kenobi was mistaken. The Emperor rarely lied. He just voiced the truth in a way that suited him the best.

“Master Sidious has shown me my true potential.”

True enough. He may have loathed Palpatine ever since being forced to become his apprentice, but the Dark Side the Sith had show him had made him powerful in a way he had never realised as a Jedi. As much as he hated to admit it, Sidious had given him something to live for. And this moment was certainly to die for.

Darth Vader moved quickly. His next swipe sent Ben's lightsabre flying from his hand. The Jedi's senses were still muffled by the sudden fit of anger he'd felt that by the time his body even thought to move, Vader's lightsabre had already pierced through his stomach. Gasping in pain, Ben took a step sideways, only causing the blade to cut through a larger area. Victory was written all over Vader's golden eyes, yet his opponent could only see his own reflection in the black mask as he slumped on the sand.

“This is the end, Obi-Wan”, the man clad in black said in low voice, calling the blue lightsabre to his hand and nearly crushed it with his inhumanly strong mechanical hand. The hilt gave in and the once so graceful weapon became scrap metal before its owner's eyes. “You have failed. You will die here, _knowing_ you are one of the last of your kind. Knowing _this_ is all your fault.”

“I–I already know that”, the Jedi gasped, batting his eyes repeatedly. Were those tears falling on his cheeks? Why..?

He could feel the death approaching. _No. There is no death, there is the Force. There is the Force..._ He gasped a shaky breath, fighting against the shock and the urge to start repeating the Jedi Code like a mantra.

“I will hunt down your padawan”, Vader growled, same hatred in his voice when Obi-Wan had left him to die nine years ago. “I promise you, I will have him tortured to death.”

“No!” the dying man choked, suddenly using all the strength he had left to reach out for him. “No... You–you can't. You mustn't... He's–”

The Sith ignored his plea and pushed him against the sand with a heavy, black boot. “He's the last person you will ever fail.”

“No...” Ben fought against losing consciousness. He reached out to the Force like Qui-Gon had taught him to, while his life literally seemed to be flashing before his eyes. His mind played random scenes of his life like some sort of broken holofilm. Memories of Qui-Gon, of old friends, of old enemies, of Mustafar, of the Clone Wars, of the Jedi Temple, of the time his lost padawan was still a child, of a burning man at the edge of a river of lava, of Luke...

_Luke..._

“He will live for weeks, months even. I will see to that personally”, the Sith Lord hissed.

“Luke...” Ben cried out, fighting for another breath and not listening a word Vader was saying anymore. All that mattered was Luke. If revealing him was the only way... Otherwise Vader would kill Owen and Beru before either would have time to explain. The Sith would carry out his threats.

 _Stars forgive me._ Ben tried to grab Vader's leg to get his attention, but he felt so weak... He could barely lift his arm. The fabric of the Sith's bodysuit slipped through his debilitated fingers.

His former apprentice kept ranting on. “I will make him go through agony unlike anything you can imagine! And he will know who–”

“Anakin. Listen, please”, he begged at the dark, towering shadow over him. He couldn't really fix his eyes to him anymore. All he could see was blinding light from the suns and a black figure against it. It was so hard to breathe... So hard to make words come out of his mouth. “Don't...hurt him. Anakin, he's your– your...son.”

“–betrayed him, who left him to die in my hands! No, not die. But he will beg to be killed. He will–”

Darth Vader froze in mid-sentence as his mind registered the dying words of his old Master.

“My what?!”

But it was too late. The wounded man choked his final breath and collapsed. Dead. Before he could do anything, the body disappeared before his eyes, leaving only the clothes on the sand.

 

* * *

 

Over 100 kilometres away, on a moisture farm, Luke Skywalker woke up screaming and sobbing. Beru had already been up and rushed to the boy's room.

“Luke! Are you alright?”

The teary boy clutched his blanket and violently shook his head. Beru had never seen him so badly shaken.

“Honey, what's wrong?” she gasped and hurried to the boy's side.

“I don't know”, Luke admitted. “I can't remember.”

Beru sighed inwardly in relief. For a moment she had thought, irrational as it might have been, that the man from Luke's dream might have actually been in the room. She almost felt like checking under the bed, but forced herself to forget about it.

“You had a nightmare again”, Beru said in gentle, low voice and sat beside him to hold him close. “It's okay. You're awake now. Shh, dear, everything's alright. I'm here.”

Luke threw his tiny hands around her and sobbed against her chest. She held him for long minutes, hoping the boy wouldn't notice how her heart was still racing. What was it with Luke lately? His explanation of the dreams and how scared of them he was frightened her. Luke supposedly had powers unlike anything she could comprehend. He sometimes had inhumanly fast reflexes and he could find lost objects like he'd hidden them himself. She, and especially Owen, tried to disparage and discourage these abilities, but she couldn't dismiss the fact that Luke was special. Was it really their place to deny something that was part of him since his birth?

Owen certainly seemed to think so. She knew her husband loved Luke and was just trying to protect the boy from the destiny his father had faced. From what Obi-Wan was preparing him for. Beru herself didn't want that for Luke. Did it matter who Luke's father had been? Why would his sins need to become Luke's responsibility? A boy so young and innocent should not have to bear such weight on his shoulders.

Still... Maybe trying to subdue Luke's Force sensitivity was exactly what was causing his growing anxiousness and worsening nightmares.

When Luke finally drifted back to sleep, Beru carefully tucked him in before tiptoeing out of the room. It was still early and she could let Luke sleep an hour more. Owen waited for her in the corridor.

“How is he?”

Beru shook her head quietly. “Another nightmare. He's back asleep for now.”

“He'll be fine”, Owen said firmly. He probably meant to reassure Beru, but she didn't feel any better. She followed him to the dining area. He sat down to where his half finished breakfast had waited, took a datapad and started to flip through the morning news. She sat across him, not quite feeling like having anything yet.

“He told me about the dreams the other night”, she confessed after a while of silence.

“And?” Owen grunted, not lifting his eyes from the datapad. Sunny as always, windy for most of the day, sandstorm warnings for the late afternoon. He made a mental note that he might need to pick up Luke early from the school. Tusken Raiders spotted near Mos Eisley. Well, that didn't concern them...

“I don't know what to think...” she admitted, flexing her fingers nervously. “He talked of 'darkness' and 'a huge towering presence' over him. You don't think it could be..?”

Owen placed the datapad on the table. “No.”

Beru shook her head quietly. She knew what she was about to say would not get a positive response from her husband, but she said it out loud anyway. “Maybe we should ask Obi-Wan.”

“No.” Owen's opinion was clear.

“All the children have nightmares”, he said, staring sternly into her eyes with a deep frown. “We should just monitor what kind of rubbish he's watching before going to sleep. There's no point in getting that wizard involved. He's nothing but trouble.”

Beru didn't reply. She was unsatisfied, but for now decided to let it go. If Luke's nightmares would continue or get worse, she'd contact the Jedi on her own.

 

* * *

 

_Impossible!_

How could Obi-Wan do it?! He wasn't supposed to be strong enough! Vader had witnessed such death once before, but the dying man's Force abilities had been far beyond anything he had ever known. On Mortis, the odd world's Father had disappeared the same way. In another life. A long time ago.

“Curse you, Obi-Wan Kenobi!”

Lashing the clothes with his lightsabre in blind rage he screamed out his fury. The sand was molten into glass where the red blade cut and he did not stop until the clothes where nothing but a pile of ripped and burned pieces of fabric.

“A son?!” he screamed into the morning air before sinking to his knees.

_No... It can't be. A son. It's not possible._

Obi-Wan had to have lied in order to save his apprentice. _It's the only logical explanation!_ his mind protested against the revelation, against the truth he'd felt in those words. For if he had a child, then the reality around him would crumble, the very reasons he lived for would be shattered in pieces. He almost wished Obi-Wan was lying.

_There cannot be a child if she died. I killed her._

A painful spark of hope pierced through his heart as he reached deep into the Force, searching for what he knew he couldn't find. And he was right. There was no Padmé, for she was gone. The little spark died hurting worse than when it had appeared, leaving behind a void, black sorrow. Nothing would bring her back.

 _But..._ a soundless voice pleaded wishfully. _She wasn't dead. You hurt her. But she wasn't dead._

Could it be possible..? Could he allow himself to even think of the possibility that their child might have survived? That she might have lived long enough to give birth while he'd been undergoing the agonizing surgeries and eventually been locked inside his durasteel and leather prison, for he knew that by the time he woke up from the torturous process, she'd already been gone. Could it be..?

What was the name Obi-Wan had uttered? _Nute? Luka? ...Luke?_

They never had had much time to discuss names. They had only briefly touched the subject during their first night together, after he had suddenly been pulled to the Core from the Outer Rim. So beautiful against the Coruscant night sky, she had told him of her plans to return to Naboo. They had both felt silly and madly in love after so many months of being apart from each other. Later, lying on each others arms in the bed, she had tossed around ideas for the child's name. He had tried to suggest Jinn, but she had liked the name Luke better.

Padmé had been sure the baby was a boy, although she swore she had refused to let the doctors spoil the surprise. She had wanted to name the baby Luke, if it was a boy. And because he had joked earlier it must have been a girl for kicking so hard, he'd suggested the name Leia. She'd liked it, it was very similar to Luke, and they had laughed a while for the joke again, until she had suddenly sobered down.

_“I was thinking maybe we could name her Shmi or Ahsoka if it's a girl.”_

His reply had been strict 'no'. He hadn't wanted to see the look on her face, so he had turned around and they hadn't talked for the rest of the night. That was, until he woke up after the first nightmare of her dying in the childbirth.

A child that may have survived.

_Luke..._

It sounded too good to be true.

Would he have been able to, Darth Vader would have drawn a deep breath in attempt to calm himself. If he indeed had a son, he would need to find him. How this was possible, was something he could think through later. He had felt the boy's presence only briefly when Obi-Wan's thoughts had guided him to the right place, but it had been strong. He could find this child. He just needed some time.

He closed his eyes behind his mask. A son or not, he would have to find the child first before he could determine anything. The rational part of his mind refused to believe the possibility of his child being alive. If he were to open his heart for this idea and then find Obi-Wan had lied to him, had somehow used a Force trick on him to make him believe in false hope, he might not be able to take it. Losing his wife and child once was an experience he never wanted to be repeated. The guilt still haunted him and would never leave him. And though it tormented him, he would never let go of it. He deserved all of it.

So no. He would refuse to let himself believe in Obi-Wan's words before he'd see the boy.

On the other hand, if Obi-Wan had lied and the boy would turn out to be exactly what Vader suspected him to be, he could always take the child and fulfill his promise to the Jedi. He could torture the apprentice, find out what he knew of Kenobi and eventually kill him. Or better yet, he could then hand the padawan to Starkiller. Dueling both, PROXY and a desperate Jedi child could actually be a very good exercise. He could even order Starkiller to keep the padawan alive for further education. That'd save Vader the time of finding suitable prisoners for Starkiller to test his own skills in interrogation. If the padawan was any good, he might even become a considerable ally if turned to the Dark Side...

No, on the second thought, no. He wouldn't need two. Two apprentices would either focus too much on pointless rivalry or, in worst case scenario, join hands to destroy their Master. One was enough.

The Sith got up abruptly, attempted to shake most of the sand from his armour and strode to his speeder bike. He found it on its left side, half buried in a dune almost 500 metres from where the duel had ended. Perhaps it hadn't been such a bright idea to jump from a moving vehicle he would still need afterwards...

It didn't take him long to lift the speeder with the Force, but he hadn't driven even ten metres before he noticed the sand had already managed to do the trick it did the best –getting absolutely everywhere. It took him nearly twice the time to get back to the shuttle than it had originally taken to get to Obi-Wan. He would have to do something about it before he could start his search for the mystery boy.

Vader left the speeder outside. He'd take a look of it later. First he wanted to see what he could make of the situation after examining the surroundings. He walked in, sat to the computer and opened a map of the area, along with all the other details the Captain had ordered to be uploaded to the shuttle's main computer.

Where could have Obi-Wan taken the boy? The most obvious place to look for would be where ever Kenobi had lived. It was likely, though, that the Jedi had warned the boy and sent him somewhere in hiding. But since his old friend had come to seek him out, it was also possible that the boy, the possible apprentice, was still waiting for his Master to return.

Why had Obi-Wan come to Tatooine in the first place? Merely to hide himself? If so, why the Western Dune Sea? Just to avoid civilians getting hurt in their fight? Or was there more to it? Did he live nearby? Why? Hiding among the crowd in Bestine, Mos Eisley or Mos Espa would have drawn less attention than a stranger with a Coruscanti accent settling alone in a place like this.

Apart from the capital Bestine, there were four other towns that could be considered near: Wayfar, Anchorhead, Motesta and Arnthout. Where ever Obi-Wan had lived, he was likely to be known in one of these places. Fett had suspected Wayfar and Vader could not deny the bounty hunter's reputation. He could start his search there.

He frowned at the names. _Anchorhead..._

It sounded distantly familiar. But then again, he had lived on Tatooine. It was entirely possible he had heard the name before.

 _Anchorhead. Of course._ Anchorhead had been the name of the town in the address of Cliegg Lars.

Lars Homestead  
Anchorhead  
Great Chott Salt Flat

The exact coordinates he could not remember, but he did remember staring at the name and the address Watto had given him. The place where his mother had been. The place his child might now be. The Sith Lord clenched his fist. So that's how it was. Kenobi had chosen this place because of the Lars family. And if his child indeed was alive–

No, he would not allow himself to think if. It might not be his child at all. It could all be Kenobi's trick. But the Lars Homestead had something to do with all of this. Had Obi-Wan even gone as far as to live there? To involve the last remaining people who even distantly were part of his family... Unforgivable. Shmi had cared for Cliegg Lars and his son Owen. They had all cared for her.

If Obi-Wan indeed had sent his apprentice to the Lars Homestead, the child would pay for his Master's insolence. The padawan would suffer the way Kenobi should have suffered.


	8. IV

Beru Lars hummed with the music while sweeping the living room floor. On Tatooine, the sand had a tendency to get everywhere and cleaning it was an unending task, but she didn't mind. She was a simple woman with a humble background and had never wished for anything more than a simple live. Doing her job as a wife of a moisture farmer, keeping her house nice and clean, taking care of her husband and nephew was all she wanted and all she needed.

It was already past midday and the hottest hours on Tatooine. Owen would probably soon come home from the south ridge because of the sandstorm warnings and drive to Anchorhead to get Luke home before it started. Sandstorms were bad for their business. They often damaged the already fragile vaporators, so Owen had been working all day to see they would hold. He hadn't even come to rest during the midday heat like he usually did, so she had been eating the lunch alone. She didn't mind, though. She and Owen didn't share the same taste in music, so she'd been able to listen to the radio all day. She shut the said device off after the song ended.

Beru gathered all the sand in a bucket already half filled from the other rooms and the dining area that was half outdoors. On her way up to the yard to dispose the sand she checked the kitchen to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything on the table. She hadn't, and the light meal she'd prepared earlier for Owen was in the fridge, where it would stay cool in case he'd want to eat it before getting Luke.

She was still humming when she got up the stairs and stepped to the yard. Nothing would have prepared her for what she saw. She dropped the sand-bucket and probably screamed a little before backing away to the wall, but Darth Vader held out his hand, and suddenly she _couldn't_ move anymore, because there was an invisible hand holding her still.

“Where is the child?” the armoured man demanded. The suns were reflecting from his helmet and made it hard for Beru to look straight at him.

“W–what?” she cried out in horror. The thought of Luke's nightmare crossed her mind, when the dark figure ominously stepped closer.

“The child”, Vader bellowed. “ _Where_ is he?”

“Luke's in the school”, she gasped before she realised what information had just leaked between her lips.

“Please...” she whimpered.

The invisible hold seemed to loosen its grip around her. “School..?” the Dark Lord asked, sounding almost puzzled.

“Y–yes” Beru stuttered. “They're probably finishing soon. P–please... Please don't hurt him. Please!”

“I don't intend to–”

Vader was cut off by a rifle shot. He turned around quickly, reflecting the blaster bolt with his lightsabre that seemingly appeared out off nowhere.

“Beru! Beru!”

“Owen!” she shrieked, half terrified, half relieved.

Owen's swoop bike decelerated fast and he jumped off, the rifle pointed at one of the Empire's most powerful men. Beru ran to her husband, who shook her off, stepping between her and the Dark Lord. “Stay behind me, Beru.”

Darth Vader stood motionless, only some ten meters from the couple, his lightsabre still ignited.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Owen demanded. Behind him, Beru had paled and grasped his shoulder so hard her fingers were going white.

“I'm sorry, Owen. I told him where Luke is”, she whimpered. “Stars, I'm sorry... Luke, Luke...”

“Put the rifle down, Owen”, Vader ordered in a low voice. After couple of seconds that seemed to drag on forever, he let the red blade die down and clipped the hilt back on his belt. “I am not here to do you any harm.”

Reluctantly, Owen lowered the weapon, never letting his eyes off the Sith. “Then why are you here?”

“The boy.”

“You know you will not get to him without harming us. I will rather die than let you harm that boy.”

“Owen...” Beru cried barely audibly. _Don't provoke him._ She knew Owen was just as scared as she was. Scared for himself, scared for her and scared for Luke.

“If the boy is who Obi-Wan told him to be, there will be no harm done to him from my part”, Vader said, taking a step towards them. Owen immediately pointed the weapon back at him.

“Obi-Wan?” he questioned. “What has he told you? He's nothing but trouble.”

“So you do know Obi-Wan”, Vader smirked behind his mask, stepping closer again. He grabbed the rifle and hurled it on the ground before any shot would hit him. “He brought the boy here, didn't he? You are looking after his apprentice while he came to kill me today. He failed.”

“W–what are you talking about?” Beru cried confusedly before she could stop herself and boldly took a step forward. “Apprentice..? Luke's been living here all his life. He's like a _son_ to us!”

“Don't act braver than you are, Beru”, the Sith snapped, turning to her. “I want the truth. _Who_ is that boy? _Where_ is he?”

“Stay away from her!” Owen shouted at the man looming over them, pulling Beru back.

“Stars... Please..! You're Anakin, aren't you?! Anakin Skywalker! It's your son! Luke is your son!” Beru sobbed, praying for all the gods she knew. Even the Tusken gods.

Her words seemed to hit Vader worse than any physical assault from their part ever could have. He took several faltering steps backwards before stopping.

“So it's true..?” he asked, his mechanical voice same as ever, yet more vulnerable than it had ever been, ever since he'd asked whether Padmé was all right. She hadn't been. “I have...a son? Our child is _alive_?”

Beru swallowed, still holding Owen's arm. “Yes.”

For a moment time stood still as the small word and the reality changing _meaning_ behind it sunk to Darth Vader's mind. Beru thought she could see the air move around him, but it must have been the heat. Then, a horrid howl surged from within the black mask. She didn't know if it was a word or not, but it carried such pain, such agony and loneliness that Beru felt like drowning by just listening. She felt Owen's arms hold her tightly and she was probably sobbing again.

The three of them stood still, Vader's constant breathing and Beru's sobs the only sounds disturbing the desert's silence.

“Where is he?” Vader finally asked again.

“School in Anchorhead”, Owen said, cradling his scared wife.

Before Vader could find anything to say, Beru tore herself from Owen's hold. She didn't quite have the courage to touch the Dark Lord, but she looked into his emotionless mask, pleading. “He's been here for the past nine years. All he knows is here..! Please...don't. Don't destroy the life he has!”

 _Please don't take him away from us._ “We love him!”

“Just bring him here”, Vader said quietly, stepping away from the crying woman. _“Now.”_

Feeling like they really had no choice, Owen nodded. “Beru will take the swoop and pick him up. I'll stay behind.”

“No. Beru stays.”

Owen swallowed. Apparently Vader had thought the exact same thing he had. If he'd stay behind, Beru and Luke would still have the chance to escape. The Sith knew Owen would not choose between Luke and his wife.

“Fine. Beru stays.”

Owen gave a reassuring, but brief look at his wife. Without saying a word he hopped on the swoop and sped away.

Wiping her tears silently, Beru watched until the swoop disappeared into the horizon. Collecting herself, she drew a deep, faltering breath and bent down to take the forgotten sand-bucket with shaking hands. She nervously glanced at Vader before getting the rifle as well. Her heart was still racing, and her hands would have been shaking had she not clutched the items so hard it nearly hurt.

“Let's go inside.”

 

* * *

 

Owen probably made a new speed record with their ancient Zephyr-G swoop bike when he arrived back, puzzled Luke seated between his uncle and the handles. The said uncle had told him he was taking him home because of the approaching sandstorm later in the evening. It could have been true, since he wasn't the only kid being picked up early. Camie's father had fetched her and Fixer half an hour before him. Biggs said his mother was due to get him within an hour, too. Odd that Owen didn't offer to take Biggs halfway. Odd that uncle Owen was so tense.

When they got home the first thing Luke noticed was the large, black speeder bike. He'd never seen a model like that before, but it reminded him of the speeder bikes he'd seen the stormtroopers use on HoloNet news.

“We've got a guest?”

Uncle didn't answer, like he hadn't answered any questions Luke had made on their way home. Actually, uncle hadn't said a word ever since he'd appeared to the school and said: “Luke. There's a storm coming. We're going home.”

Luke had figured _something_ was wrong. First he'd been afraid something might have happened to aunt Beru, but something told him that wasn't it. Once he saw the vehicle he knew the _something_ had something to do with the mystery visitor. And suddenly, he felt he didn't want to go home at all. _Something_ , whatever it was, was something _huge_ , something that would _change_ his life.

“Uncle Owen...?”, Luke spoke quietly, suddenly feeling very reluctant of the idea of going down the stairs. “Can we go back?”

Owen didn't turn to look at him. “We go in.”

 

* * *

 

Neither of them seemed to be able to sit down in silence. Darth Vader circled around the courtyard's tiny shadows that only served as shade for his boots. Beru had occupied herself with wiping the table. For the 12th time in a row now. Both of them snapped to look at the stairs when they heard voices.

“Luke!”

Vader looked from afar as a young boy ran to Beru's opened arms. They hugged each other for several seconds before the boy pulled himself free from the arms that apparently did not want to let him go. Very much like a mother would hug a son. Unexpectedly, the sight reminded him of his own mother. Of the day when he had left, not knowing if he would ever see her again. Unlike Beru, Shmi had let go of his son, who would not have really wanted to.

For a moment, the weight of the memory seemed to stun him. Long enough for Owen to appear from stairs and Beru to get up. She held the boy close to herself, and the boy clung to her skirt, undoubtedly intimidated by his presence.

“Luke”, Beru calmly said to the boy, touching his shoulder. “This man here has come to see you.”

Luke's eyes shot from Beru to Vader and back. He had no idea who this man was, even less why he would want to see him. He certainly wasn't sure if he wanted to meet this man. If he even was a man. It was difficult to say if the armour and helmet were just that or if the creature was actually a droid.

“Why? I haven't done anything..?”

Darth Vader stepped forward and the boy escaped behind Beru's back. The woman herself stiffened as well, but fought to keep herself calm.

The boy was small. Tiny. He had a sandy-blond hair and traditional Tatooine clothing. There was nothing about him that would have drawn his attention under normal circumstances and yet, when Vader reached out with the Force he felt... He wasn't quite sure what he felt. A presence soaked in the Force, a presence that shone brighter than both of the suns together. Raw power hidden behind layers that reeked of Obi-Wan. He would have never noticed how strong the Force was in this boy, had he not known to look for it.

He felt...connection. He felt... _her_.

“So it _is_ true...” Vader spoke.

Luke jerked away from all of them, as if Vader's mental touch would have burned him. As if his son was frightened of him. And why wouldn't he be? He obviously did not know who he was, and the less stories he'd heard the better. Vader knew he was intimidating enough by just standing and doing nothing. His name only was enough to frighten adult beings. To a child he must have looked like a monster from a nightmare. He certainly sounded like one.

 _My son is afraid of me._ The thought stung a little, certainly more than it ought to have, even though he knew it to make perfectly sense. And he was a Sith Lord. He shouldn't have felt a thing, but he refused to listen to the nagging voice telling him that. None of that seemed to matter at the moment.

Beru exchanged looks with her husband, then with his mask. She didn't quite manage to look at his eyes, but Vader was used to it, too, as he was used to the red tinted vision. Even he didn't feel like breaking the news to the child, despite that at the same time he felt like snatching the boy with him right now and never looking back.

In the end, it was Beru who turned to Luke, attempting to smile reassuringly. “Luke, mmm...this– this is your father. He's here to see you.”

Luke folded his arms and didn't seem to buy her words. “You said my father's dead”, he deadpanned.

“I– I think we had been...misinformed.” Beru glanced nervously at Darth Vader and desperately tried to not let the boy see how her hands were shaking. “Perhaps we should– should sit down.”

“Yes. Perhaps we should”, Vader allowed. He stepped to his son, not too close to scare him off, and looked down at him. What should he say?

“Hello, son”, he acknowledged. Had he ever felt this short of words before? He was quite certain he hadn't. “Do you know who I am?”

The boy shook his head viciously and took a nervous step backwards.

“I'm Darth Vader. I am your father.”

The eyes, of which colour he could not determine behind the red hue, widened. At least Luke had heard the name. The boy shook his head again. “No you aren't. My father's called Skywalker like me. Anakin Skywalker.”

Involuntarily Vader stepped closer. “Search your feelings, boy. You know it's true.”

“Get away from me!”

Had Beru not intervened, Luke would have spurted out of the yard. She held the boy close to herself and shot her blaming eyes at Vader.

“I really think we should sit down”, she said silently, but firmly and led the boy to the outdoor table.

“We talk”, Owen said, passing him and followed his wife. Vader crossed his arms, but followed as well. He swept the cape aside and sat in the cramped space. It was exactly as he remembered from his last visit, just...everything seemed even smaller now. Beru sat in the corner and Luke was beside her, holding her hand, trying hard to not look scared. Owen sat in front of him, mirroring him with his crossed arms.

"Well? I suppose you have a lot to explain."

"Explain?" Vader roared. "Me? You are the ones holding _my_ son. It's _you_ who should explain."

Owen was about to open his mouth, but Beru's touch on his arm silenced him.

"Obi-Wan brought him here when he was just couple of days old”, she explained calmly. “He only told us you were the father and that you and his mother were dead. It wasn't until later he discovered you were still alive."

"And yet you decided not to inform _me_ I had a son?"

“It took even longer for him to tell us it was you.”

"We were just trying to keep him safe", Owen spat at him.

"From his own _father_?"

Luke pressed himself against Beru at his outburst, and the woman closed her arms around the boy protectively. Vader immediately regretted the tone his voice had taken and attempted to soften it as much as the vocoder allowed.

"I would _never_ harm _my own_ son."

It didn't seem to work. If anything, his voice had seemed to sound even more threatening to the boy.

"Maybe not you...” his...sister-in-law..? said. “But what about the Emperor?" Beru's voice was barely more than a whisper. "Could you keep Luke safe from him?"

"Of cour–" Vader started. But no, he realised. Beru was right. Luke's existence would have been even more of a threat to the Emperor than Starkiller's was.

"Obi-Wan warned us about the Emperor after we found out you were alive. Despite what we had heard of you...” Beru licked her lower lip uneasily, not looking at Vader. Her hand nervously stroked Luke's shoulder.

“I still wanted to let you know. I thought you deserved to know. But when he talked about the Emperor, even I was forced to believe it would have been too risky.”

She lifted her eyes and continued: “We just want for him to have a home and a loving family like we assumed you and his mother would have wanted. Luke is safe here", Beru insisted. Her eyes bore into the dark mask despite the fear Vader could feel under the fierce surface.

Even the tiniest reference to Padmé stung Darth Vader's heart. Safe home and loving parents. Any dying mother would wish those for her child. Had she asked Obi-Wan to bring Luke here? Why here and not Naboo?

 _Because Naboo is Palpatine's homeworld, too._ Obi-Wan would have seen the risk. The chances of somebody accidentally finding Luke on a Mid Rim planet were far higher than here on the Outer Rim. And naturally Kenobi had used Vader's hatred for Tatooine to his advantage.

"How much does he know?" he finally asked after a long silence, nodding slightly at the boy who still clung onto Beru's sleeve. Luke's eyes silently observed his every move. Quite clearly, the young boy had had no idea of his father's true identity.

Owen cleared his throat. "We've always treated your son as our own, but we have never pretended to be his parents. He knows the name you used to go by and a makeshift story of his navigator father's death in a space accident."

_"A navigator?"_

Owen shrugged. "We agreed it'd be for the best for him to not get involved with the Jedi. Kenobi wanted to train him, but I refused."

"Rather told him to leave and never come back..." Beru muttered, giving a dark glance at her husband.

The mere idea of Obi-Wan filling his son's head with all the false Jedi philosophy angered Vader to the point of wanting to kill the man again. Apparently he had Owen to thank for a lot. Luke was clearly in good hands with the Lars couple. As much as he would have wanted to take his son with him, he knew it to be nearly impossible. The new Super Star Destroyer's unfinished hull was an option, but Luke would likely not have been pleased with the solution in the long run. And he doubted the Lars couple would have approved the plan, either. But the longer he stayed here, the more attention he might draw to this moisture farm. Would anyone ever know, Luke's life would be in grave danger. The list of people who would want to kidnap or simply kill Luke for the sake of revenge was endless.

Vader stood up hurriedly. "I better leave. I will do my best to have no attention drawn onto you and arrange some finances to–"

"We don't need your money", Owen snarled at the Dark Lord, getting up himself.

"Owen–", Beru started. Not that she was saying they needed Vader's money, either, but she felt like they shouldn't push away the only way Vader could do something for his son without needing to take him away.

"No, Beru–"

"Do as you please", Vader interrupted, crossing his arms again. "I won't be back. Just– Take care of my son."

Beru took a step closer with open arms, as if somehow trying to reach him. "Anakin..."

 _"That name"_ , Vader snapped, pointing his finger at the woman, "is no longer mine."

Luke, who still sat at the corner, flinched at the dark Force gathering around him. Vader let the hand he had not even noticed rising fall. It'd be for the best to leave now, before he caused some permanent damage. He turned abruptly, leaving the couple behind. He had already reached the stairs when he heard Owen follow. Pretending not to notice he stepped outside and headed for his speeder.

"Hey! I'm talking to you."

Vader turned slowly to face the man who marched towards him. "What?"

"Your ship. Where'd you park it?"

Vader frowned in irritation, but replied. "I have a shuttle near the north side of Jundland Wastes."

"Thought so..." Owen muttered and nodded to the horizon.

Vader turned his head to see what Owen was looking at. The far horizon was dark and smudgy of an approaching sandstorm. It had been a long time since he had experienced a Tatooinean sandstorm, but he could still remember the incredibly fast wind.

"It'll be here in half an hour. It's a suicide to take a speeder ride towards and through a sandstorm”, Owen said neutrally. “Even for you."

"Indeed”, Vader allowed. His armour and life support systems were built to hold in numerous different conditions, but a sandstorm was likely to stop him soon. If not the armour, the sand would jam the speeder bike's engines and eventually his mechanical limbs. Before that, however, it would probably find it's way through the helmet's filters and he'd be soon breathing in fine sand. “What do you propose?"

"You can stay here", Beru's hesitant voice called from the doorway. "We didn't eat yet, so I thought I'd start preparing something soon, so..." she said uneasily, walking to the men. "Should I..? Is there anything I can..?"

"I cannot take off the mask here."

"Ah, of–of course. I'm sorry", she apologised, blushing slightly. "Owen, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. I'll–" she quickly glanced at Vader, "take Luke with me."

Owen merely nodded and watched her leave. Darth Vader studied the stormy horizon. Even now one could see it coming closer in the twin sunlight. It had been a long time since he had seen the suns. It reminded him of the numerous times of Anakin's childhood, when he'd watch the suns set, wishing to just get away from them.

Owen cleared his throat. "Right... We better move your speeder. The wind's getting stronger."

 

* * *

 

Owen looked at the roof doors to garage close above them. The wind outside had already become strong enough to fly the sand around in the air. He lowered his eyes from the ceiling to the surroundings.The garage seemed even more cramped than usually, now that they had moved Darth Vader's speeder indoors. What a weird thought it was: he, Owen Lars, the stepbrother of Darth Vader's.

"Why were the gravestones removed?" the tall man in question suddenly asked.

Owen looked at the man he used to think as his brother. It took him a moment to realise that Vader seemed to assume the gravestone of their mother had been permanently removed. He let out a small, dry laugh.

"It sure has been a long time since you left Tatooine. There are a lot of sandstorms this time of the year. The engravings would be completely gone by the end of the season, if they were left out in the sandblast. It saves us time to remove them for couple of months, instead of covering them before each storm. They're over there, if you want to see them", he explained, waiving at the general direction of the corner.

The black cloaked man looked at the pointed direction, but did not move. Owen shrugged and let him be, moving to check the generators. Vader did not follow.

 

* * *

 

"Thank you, Luke."

Luke handed the eating utensils to his aunt and peeked over his shoulder for probably the hundredth time since they'd come to the kitchen. Ever since the tall man in black had arrived he'd been feeling this weird...presence. Weird, yet somehow extremely familiar and infinitely strong. It wasn't just the man himself. More like being this near to the man had awoken some new sense in him.

"Luke?"

Aunt Beru knelt and took his hands. "Are you all right?"

Luke's eyes shifted away. "...sure."

But he wasn't. Not entirely, anyway. There were stories of Darth Vader, even here on Tatooine. Things kids liked to tell each other, like that Vader was a gigantic alien with four arms, had a head like a spider and ate children for breakfast. And then there where the things he'd heard adults say in a fearful tone. That Vader was a ruthless war leader who'd kill people without a slightest of hesitation.

And now here he was. Darth Vader was at his home, claiming to be his father. It couldn't be, it just couldn't. Yet somehow he _knew_ it was true. _All_ his life he'd craved to have a father. He'd made up stories, fantasies in which his father wasn't dead.

No, not dead. He was a hero of some kind, but the bad guys had a bounty on his head and he'd gone hiding, but he'd come back one day. Any day now, really, maybe even tomorrow. Tank had told him to stop sky-walking as his name suggested, and get his feet back on the ground. Uncle Owen would get angry each time he mentioned something about his father.

So much for that father. So much for Anakin Skywalker.

"I'm okay."

"Honey, I understand", his aunt said, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "It's going to be all right..." she whispered, but to Luke it almost sounded like she was crying as she held him closer.

 

* * *

 

Beru left fetching Owen to Luke and headed for the garage herself. The Dark Lord was still in. He was crouched over their landspeeder with an opened toolbox on the floor beside him.

"Va–, ah, Darth Vader?” she tried. “...Lord Vader?"

The man did not remove his attention from the speeder's engines. "Vader is fine."

"We're going to have some late lunch. Or maybe it's an early dinner” she rambled nervously. “I remember what you said earlier, but if you'd like to join us..." her voice died down.

"Thank you, but I will remain here."

"Oh, all right", Beru said, trying not to sound too relieved. She was already leaving, when she suddenly turned back.

"You're still welcome to join us if you change your mind”, she forced the words out of her mouth before she'd lose her nerve. “You–you are family."

Darth Vader did not look at her, not until she had her back turned at him. His eyes remained at the empty doorway for a long time. He let the spanner drop.

Coming here had been a bad idea. He– no. Anakin, not him. _Anakin_ had been here only once and yet the place was full of memories. If he closed his eyes and drew deep into the Force he could _almost_ see her. It was like the memory of her presence was still lingering in this house. The swoop bike in the corner reminded him of his– _Anakin's!_ futile attempt to save his mother.

He picked up the tool, consciously fighting the urge to throw it out of the room like Anakin had done.

_"Sometimes there are things no one can fix. You're not all powerful."_

Vader tightened his hold on the hydrospanner. _I should have been._

What a fool he had been, thinking the Jedi way was the correct way. It had brought him nothing but loss, betrayal and grief. This was were the real power lay. Yet he could never fully reach his potential, not anymore. But Luke...his son, his son! Her son. Somehow she had managed to live long enough to give birth to their son. It was a miracle. He'd been right, he had not killed her on Mustafar! He had not murdered the only person in the galaxy he would have gladly sacrificed everything. For whom he _did_ sacrifice everything.

And Palpatine... His Master. His new slaver. Palpatine had told him he had murdered her. He had _lied_ to him in order to use him. And undoubtedly would do anything to get his hands on Luke if he were to ever know.

_I will not let that happen._

Obi-Wan had failed to protect Anakin from Palpatine. Darth Vader would not let the same happen to Luke.

_Never._

As soon as the storm would die down, he would leave this farm and never come back. It would be for the best. He may not ever see his son again, but at least he would know the child was safe and in good hands. Luke would never get to know the Force or his father, at least not before Sidious was gone, but it was a sacrifice he had to make to ensure his safety. He would not risk nor sacrifice his only child's life in his silent rebellion against the Emperor. That was what Starkiller was for –and unlike his son, Starkiller wasn't irreplaceable.


	9. V

Clattering, sounds of welding and drills, heavy metallic steps, sputter and loud hammering...

Sounds like these were constant on the unnamed Super Star Destroyer Starkiller regarded his home. Home that actually was an enormous building project, a massive construction site that never slept. There were thousands of droids on the Super Star Destroyer, yet only one of them ever talked to Starkiller. Most of the droids working on the unfinished parts couldn't even speak and were programmed to ignore everything else than their endless task of finishing the war machine. There were droids of every possible size and shape, many of them specializing in one or two things only.

Starkiller didn't mind the noise. It had always been there. He almost missed it when it was gone, were it in a sound proof meditation room or even just on the _Rogue Shadow_. It was far too quiet in space. Weird as it might have sounded, it was harder to concentrate when there was nothing to shut out.

He had walked four kilometres from his quarters just to be where the noise was. He sat high up on the uncovered support structures, on beams that would very soon become a floor. But right now he could still see two floors down and perhaps ten more when glancing up. Droids passed him regularly, slaves to their punctual programming, never seeing the boy amongst them. Wires, plumbing, layers of metal and plasteel were moved around swiftly and put in their places accurately and precisely.

The working droids fascinated Starkiller. He liked to watch them, so sewing and patching up his wardrobe was a perfect excuse for such leisure. PROXY had refused to help him, saying he'd use the time to prepare him an exercise, but the apprentice was willing to bet it had more to do with him not wanting to come here. PROXY didn't particularly like the mindless worker droids. It didn't bother the apprentice, but as always, he kept a part of his mind focused, ready for anything. Even if PROXY wouldn't attack him, he knew that accidents happened, even to droids. Something heavy could hit him or fall on to him, sparks from welding or spilled molten metal could burn him or he could be knocked down if he happened to be in some droid's way. And since the area was close to an airlock, it's failure or opening could very quickly kill him. But all of it was fine by him. The danger was part of the attraction.

Starkiller swung lazily his legs over the edges of the beam and leaned his back against another one. A backpack hung from his boot while he sewed together his shirt and it's sleeve. It didn't look good, but it'd serve it's purpose well enough. Some of his underwear was beyond repair, as was his black leather jacket. The jacket would have soon been too small, anyway, but it wasn't an excuse.

He kept an eye on a droid nearly his size flying nearby, getting slowly closer. It was fastening a wire as thick as his arm. He would soon need to move out of the way, unless he wanted to be bolted inside the future floor as well. The boy played with an idea of zapping it with the Sith lightning, but he knew it wouldn't have been a good idea. Even if he would manage to short-circuit the droid, he'd be just digging his own grave. He already had enough unwelcome news for his Master. Not only would he need to apologise for the datachip, but now he also needed to ask for new clothes.

But he didn't need to worry about it just yet. It would probably take several months before he would again see his Master in person. It could very well take several weeks even before any kind of personal contact. It was unfortunate, but Starkiller knew Darth Vader had many more responsibilities than just training him. Since his existence was a secret from the rest of the world, he probably always came last on Darth Vader's to-do list. It saddened him a little, even though he knew he should not let it affect him. Solitude was good. And he always had PROXY.

He dreaded the day Master might say he didn't need PROXY anymore, for surely such day would inevitably come. PROXY was a marvelous combat training droid, but not all could be learned from a droid. Even Starkiller knew that. Once he was older and better at using his lightsabre, he was sure he would get to duel his Master more often. Once he'd proven himself to be good enough, Vader would even send him to kill real Jedi instead of traitorous senators and governors or whatever they were.

They did duel every time Master was personally on the Super Star Destroyer. They were hard duels for him, but his Master hardly even had to try. Each attack Vader made could have been deadly, Starkiller knew, but each of them was also only difficult enough to bring him to his limits. Obviously, Vader must have been holding back a great deal each time or else the apprentice would have been dead a long time ago. He'd seen Darth Vader fighting once for real and it had left him convinced his Master must have been the greatest Sith that had ever lived.

It had been five years ago, but he had had the honour of seeing Vader fight against three training droids simultaneously. His orders had been strictly to stay at the sidelines and not make any movements in order to not attract the droids' attention, because if he did, Vader would not save him –he'd be fighting them on his own. As soon as Vader activated the droids and the battle had began, he'd perfectly understood why the order.

The droids moved and attacked so fast it was hard for Starkiller to keep an eye on all of them. He watched in awe as the lightsabres moved through the air, all of them either swinging harmlessly past their target or being parried by Vader's red blade. Still, even with his untrained eyes, he could see it was not an easy duel for Drath Vader. The droids were faster and seemingly equally strong, but he didn't doubt his Master even for a second. He knew his Master would emerge victorious. _No one_ could beat his Master, most definitely not a bunch of droids. 

And he'd been right. Nearly an hour later the droids lay disabled, all still intact. As soon as Starkiller had been sure the droids would not move, he'd dashed to Lord Vader.

"That was _awesome_!" he had exclaimed.

"Keep training and you _might_ be able to fight them one day", Vader had said. " _If_ you ever make it that far."

"I will, Master. I won't fail", he'd sworn like he always did. At the time he had been so small he had needed to take half running steps to be able to follow around his Master who at the time had often taken deliberately shorter steps. Though at the time Starkiller had never realised it. By now he was somewhat taller, but still  growing and could keep up with Master Vader a little better.

“I'll survive your training, Master”, the apprentice muttered, frowning at the droid. It was getting closer. He would have to move. Then again, a glance at his wrist com's chrono told him it was soon time to leave anyway. If he'd leave now, a little earlier than he had originally intended to, then he might have a chance to surprise PROXY for a change.

The young Sith apprentice smirked at the idea and his fingers briefly touched the battered lightsabre hilt. It wasn't a beautiful weapon like the one his Master wielded, even if it had been modeled after the said lightsabre. His was made of leftover parts, had been taken apart and built again several times and had suffered terrible abuse during his training. It really was a miracle it was still intact. Not to mention he himself still had all of his appendages attached. Not even a finger had been lost so far –and for that he was proud, rightfully so.

Master would perhaps say he had nothing to feel proud of until he training was complete, but Starkiller took pride in his abilities. He knew he was gifted, he _knew_ he could make it if he just pushed himself hard enough. Surely Master Vader would see that one day as well..?

 

* * *

 

The suns had set, but there had been no sign of Vader ever since Beru had left the garage. Luke had helped her with the dinner dishes (Darth Vader hadn't joined them after all) and Owen had tried to see if they could get any clear holoprograms. They had sat in the living room, watching news and latest episode of an Outer Rim talk show in Huttese. The picture was bad and sometimes they lost the audio entirely but it didn't really matter since the program was subtitled in Basic. The lights flickered off once, but came back before Owen could get the glowrods. Luke was occupied with homework and didn't seem to lose his concentration even once. Everything seemed perfectly normal, yet both of the adults changed worried glances again and again, until it was time for Luke to go to sleep.

"Should we go find him?" Beru whispered when she came back from Luke's room.

"Better leave him be", Owen muttered, flipping through the channels. "If he wanted to talk, he'd talk."

Beru sat next her husband, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Maybe he doesn't know how.” 

She had been terrified when the Sith Lord had appeared at their front yard. She still was, when she thought of the things she'd heard of him. But after they'd spoken everything through, it seemed like she'd seen a little glimpse of someone else than the fearsome Darth Vader. She had remembered the young man who'd come to see his mother. She remembered the kind words Shmi had used to describe him. Somewhere under that black armour had to be that man, that little boy. That was what she'd come to think after she'd witnessed the man's concern, however clumsy it had been, towards his son. He wasn't just a cruel machine despite looking like one. He couldn't be.

“I wonder when was the last time anyone treated him like a sentient being. Do you think there are others who know who he is?"

Owen said nothing. Instead, he turned up the volume.

 

* * *

 

Darth Vader was deep in meditation when a nudge in the Force interrupted him. He opened his eyes. The room looked greenish due the night vision instead of the usual red. There was only a little light coming from the doorway. Luke stood there in his pyjamas, silently observing him.

For a time that seemed almost an eternity, neither of them moved. Finally, Luke drew a deep breath and stepped forward, his eyes never shifting away from him. Despite not having any training, he seemed to have noticed the exact moment Vader had noticed him. The boy stopped in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes as if there had been no mask hiding them.

"Are you really my father?"

Vader waited for two breathing cycles to pass before calmly (calm he didn't really feel) replying: "Yes. It would appear to be so."

Luke shut his eyes and nodded once, leaving his head hanging. The small fists curled into tight balls. The Force radiated around him and when he lifted up his face, it was torn with anger, confusion and betrayal –all feelings Vader was far too familiar with. 

"Then where have you been?! Why weren't you here for me..?"

"I've been fighting a war”, the Sith's reply came in a heartbeat.

Luke brushed the tears aside with one angry movement. "I was told you were dead! I– I always..." The boy's shoulders slumped and he suddenly crouched on the floor. "I just wanted my father here", he whispered miserably.

Vader didn't quite know how to react to the child's outburst. Starkiller hadn't had any temper tantrums for years, at least not in his presence. He tried to imagine what he would have done, had the boy in front of him been his apprentice. Somehow a Force choke or a push didn't seem to fit in here.

"In case it makes you feel any better”, he started, “I, as well, was told you were dead. I never even knew you existed.”

"How can you not know you have a child?!" the boy questioned angrily.

"I was made to believe your mother died before giving birth to you”, Vader simply replied. As an afterthought, he added: “Clearly, that cannot be true."

"Then she's alive?!" Luke gasped excitedly.

"No." Vader closed his eyes for a moment, the guilt washing over him. "She isn't."

The boy fell silent at his tone. He swallowed uneasily and after a moment of silence asked: "What happened to her..?"

Yes. That was the question. If she did not die by the hand of her husband, then what had happened? What had Obi-Wan done to her, where had he taken her? His vision of her dying in childbirth with Obi-Wan at her side must have come true. He sighed heavily in his mind. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"It does to me!"

A long silence followed Luke's words. He stared frustratedly at the man he could barely see sitting next to the wall in the darkness, but he could hear his steady breathing above the humming sound of the one generator that had been left on. The small lights on his chest blinked once in a while, seemingly with no purpose at all.

"You don't need to accept me", the man finally spoke. It wasn't like it had been easy for him himself to accept what he had become. He knew very well that the mere sight of him was terrifying to many adults, let alone children. Perhaps it would indeed be for the best for both of them to continue like it had been until today. Luke could stay here and live a relatively normal and safe life, while he would return to his Master and to the plot against him. A son would not have a place in it, anyway.

Instead of backing away or leaving, the boy drew a deep breath again and sifted closer, against all Vader's beliefs. His words were even more of a surprise.

"Can I see you?"

Vader was momentarily taken aback by the question. No one ever, never asked, even though he could _feel_ people's morbid curiosity towards what was hidden under the black mask. 

"I cannot take off the mask here."

"Why?"

"I cannot breathe the air in here."

The boy looked puzzled. "But... You're a Human...right?” The last part came out as a worried pitch, so Luke hurried to continue. “The Tatooinean air is breathable."

"It has too little oxygen and too many impurities for my needs”, Vader explained tensely. Why he even bothered to explain was beyond him. When Starkiller had asked, he had thrown the boy out of the room. Yet he heard himself continue: “I would die without my mask."

Luke looked horrified. "How can you eat? What do you do if your nose itches?"

Darth Vader had a sudden desire to laugh despite the theme of their conversation, but he held it back. He couldn't remember the last time he'd even genuinely let himself smile like this. "I have a small room with air suitable for my needs on my ship. I rarely eat. I take most of my nutrition straight into my bloodstream."

The boy nodded to confirm he understood, yet his face betrayed that in reality he had a little understanding, if any, of what Vader meant by his words.

“...so that's why you didn't join us for the dinner?"

"Yes."

Vader had had his share of dinners. To him, it meant standing behind the Emperor, looking menacing and watching others eat. His Master seemed to enormously enjoy putting him in such situations, knowing very well how much Vader despised them.

"What happened? Why can't you breathe?" Luke asked, sifting closer yet again. 

Amazing. The boy had first been so scared of him he'd tried to run away, and now he was close enough for his knees to almost touch Vader's bent legs. Vader could still feel the boy's fear underneath the new-found interest towards something normal being's instincts told to be dangerous and life threatening, but Luke ignored that fear.

"There..." Vader carefully evaluated his words, "was a fight, a long time ago. I was betrayed and injured in a duel."

Luke's mouth formed a tiny O-shape and he could feel the man did not want to continue on the subject. He would have wanted to ask more, like what all the lights and switches meant, but he didn't want to anger his newfound father. Instead, he reached out and picked up the edge of the black cape. "Why do you wear this?" 

"A cape or a robe is a traditional part of the Sith attire. It also provides some extra defense against some weaponry."

"What's a Sith?"

"Perhaps", Vader moved for the first time since Luke had showed up and took the boy's hand to remove his cape from the small fingers. Surprisingly, Luke did not jerk away from his touch. "...I will explain some other time."

"Mm...okay." The boy yawned and laid himself on the floor. "You said you have ship."

"Yes. A Star Destroyer."

"Is it fast?"

"Compared to its size, yes."

"I want to be a pilot when a grow up", Luke grinned tiredly, moving his head so that he was using Vader's boot as a pillow. "There are so many star systems out there” he grinned excitedly, gesturing with his arms, nearly hitting Vader in the chest panel. “I want to see them all!"

 _I wanna be the first one to see them all!_ Anakin's voice echoed through the Force. Vader wanted to shut it up for good. _Anakin_ is _gone_.

Ignorant to his thoughts, Luke tilted his chin up to look at him. "Have you been to them all?"

"Hardly." And Vader had stopped counting the planets he'd been to a long time ago.

"Would you like to?" the boy asked with genuine curiosity, but Vader's reply was simple and short: "No."

The child sounded something between puzzled and disappointed. "Why?"

"I'm busy with the war."

Luke frowned at that. "Why are you fighting?"

Vader tilted his head downwards, but he couldn't see Luke's face from this angle. The mask made it impossible. "Because I am needed there. It's my duty to maintain order in the Galaxy."

"When you're done with the war, would you take me to see other worlds?"

"I doubt the war is going to end any time soon”, Vader spoke, his voice taking a hint of mocking tune. It wasn't his intention, so he explained himself a little further. “There are always systems that do not appreciate the peace the Empire has brought."

The child blinked his eyes tiredly. "But...would you?"

There was a long, long silence from Vader's part before he answered. His life had already been turned upside down once. Even with his son on his lap, a part of his mind still rebelled, was trying to hold onto what had been his life for the past nine years. A part of him desperately wanted to not rip it all apart again. And yet something inside of him told him he desperately _wanted_ to get to know this child, made him want to throw it all away again. Just to be able to be with his son.

And he knew he couldn't.

"Luke...son. I cannot”, he started slowly. “I have many enemies, who would use you against me, did they know of your existence. You _must_ remain hidden from them and this is the safest place I can imagine. You must  never let anyone know of our relationship."

Luke said nothing and since he could not see the boy, it took him a moment to realise that his son had fallen asleep. He touched the boy's hair gingerly and listened to his steady breathing that almost matched the rhythm of his own. How he wished time would have stopped then and there, so that he would not need to make the decision. He wanted so badly to take boy with him, raise him as his son the way he should have done since the beginning, train him instead of some random child of a dead Jedi.

The thought of Starkiller made him see red –figuratively of course, for his line of vision was currently tainted in green hues. Why had he wasted eight years of his life to a child of a stranger, while his real flesh and blood son was rotting away on this miserable excuse of a planet? To hell with loving relatives, Luke would have had a real parent out there. It all came down to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan had made him believe Luke had never been born. Obi-Wan had made him carry the dreadful guilt that had been eating him alive, inside out, for the past nine years. Obi-Wan had denied him the existence of his child. And undoubtedly, Obi-Wan had been planning on using his son against him.

It was ultimately Obi-Wan's fault that he had spared Starkiller's life and taken the Jedi child under his tutorage, while in reality he should have used all that time for his own son. He could still make up for it, he knew it wasn't too late yet. He himself had been nine years old when he had started his training. If he started teaching now, who knew how powerful the child would become in ten years when there would be no Jedi and their rules restricting him.

Luke needed to be trained. He could never forgive himself if he'd deny Luke that. But neither would he forgive himself if something were to happen to this child –and he knew far too well what could and was more than likely to happen were he to pay too much attention on Luke. Ultimately, there was no keeping secrets from Palpatine. The only reason why he believed Starkiller to still be secret was the fact that when he found the boy, the building project of the Super Star Destroyer had just begun. It had been enough space to hide a little child and since he had already visited the site earlier, it hadn't been suspicious to make it more or less a regular habit.

There was no way he could make Tatooine a regular habit. There was always the Bast Castle on Vjun, but although he trusted his staff to certain extent, he couldn't trust them Luke. Besides, a planet with constant acid rain was even less likely to be approved by Owen and Beru than a construction site was. And for some reason unknown to him, their approval mattered. Perhaps it was gratefulness. As strange as the feeling was, he felt grateful for Beru for being a mother figure for Luke, and for Owen for keeping his son out of Obi-Wan's hands.

So Darth Vader sat quietly, weighting each option, turning them around in his head and trying to look each side of them. He would do what was for the best.

 

* * *

 

Owen had already gone to sleep, but Beru had stayed behind in the living room, determined to finish sewing patches to Luke's clothes. She was so concentrated on the work that she did not hear Vader approaching her.

"I'm looking for Luke's bedroom."

Beru jumped at the sudden deep voice and shrieked when she accidentally stuck the needle in her thumb.

"Ow, you startled me!" she cried out. Her heart raced and she felt the instinctive need to flee –until she noticed what the Sith Lord was holding. A nervous giggle escaped her lips, relieving the tension she'd felt and she frowned. "Luke..?"

The said boy lay on his father's arms, sound asleep.

"Oh, Luke...” Beru abandoned the small pants and stepped to the man. “I'm so sorry, did he bother you? He was supposed to be sleeping."

Vader shook his head slightly. "We had an interesting conversation."

Beru lifted an eyebrow, but didn't ask anything. "Follow me", she whispered instead. She led Vader through the indoor corridor to the other side of the middle yard. All the entrances had been sealed from the storm that still raged outside.

"Watch your steps, it's a bit messy in here", she warned before opening the door to Luke's room. She did not turn on the lights. Vader followed her in, laid Luke on the bed and watched as Beru tucked him in.

“He's a sweet child” she said affectionately and gently stroke the boys blond locks. “He'll be sad after you leave, you know. He's always wanted to know his father.”

As she'd expected, Vader didn't utter a word. He stood silently (well, as silent as he could) by the bed, towering over his sleeping son. Amazing that Luke wasn't bothered by it.

"I trust you know your way back", she whispered. "Should I find you a place for the night, too? I could arrange something in the living room..."

"I am not going to sleep." Vader turned to face her. "But I need to talk with you and Owen. I have a request."

 

* * *

 

Owen and Beru both rose with the suns as usual. The storm had died down some hours earlier. Luke was still sleeping when Beru started preparing the breakfast. Owen started his day with powering up the generators. The garage was empty, but Vader's speeder was still inside and the ceiling hatch to the already warm morning air opened. It didn't surprise him to find his stepbrother from their mother's grave. Considering his mysterious Force powers, it probably hadn't been that difficult to find the exact spot even without the stones marking it.

Darth Vader granted him a short look, but said nothing, so Owen simply stood silently next to him. He could clearly remember the day they had met. Mother had always told him about her son, Anakin. He had wanted to meet him, but never the way they did. He remembered him arriving with the speeder, then carrying her body inside. Later, they'd dug a grave and buried her with no fancy ceremonies. Anakin had left and never came back. Or so he'd thought. Only couple of years later Owen had buried his father, Cliegg, next to her.

"You may not agree with me, but she was my mother as well", he finally said. "Luke will be safe with us."

There were a couple of hissing breaths before any acknowledgement to his words. "I must leave. I have already received a signal from my flagship orbiting the planet."

Owen nodded. "We'll be waiting."

 

* * *

 

Luke dragged himself to the dining space. He was dressed, but his bead-head hair was still sticking out to all possible directions and he could barely keep his eyes opened.

"Morning, Luke", aunt Beru sang, handing him a cup of cold blue milk. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm..."

Seeing you decided to fall asleep in the garage way past your usual bedtime, it's no wonder you're so sleepy", she smiled teasingly. "Mr. Darklighter will be picking you up for school with Biggs today. I've got no business to Anchorhead."

"Garage..?" For a moment Luke was puzzled. He rubbed his eye and took a sip of his milk. "Wait, is he..? Is he still there?"

"No", Owen called from the kitchen's doorway. "He left."

Luke's face fell. "He didn't want to see me?"

"He didn't want to wake you up" Beru corrected, gently combing his hair with her fingers to make it look less like a mess.

"Listen very carefully, Luke”, Owen said in serious tone, sitting in front of the boy with his cup of caf. It was the tone Luke most dreaded, the tone he used when he suspected Luke might have done something. The boy fidgeted nervously. "You're a big boy and there are some things you need to understand."

"What do you mean?" the child asked uneasily.

Owen's eyes bore at him and he wanted to look away, but he didn't. 

"Luke, you must not tell anyone Darth Vader was here. You cannot tell anyone he is your father."

"But why not?” Luke all but whined. “Why'd he leave?"

Beru held out her hand to the boy's shoulder. She knew probably better than anyone how much Luke had always wished to have a father. He may have been disappointed at first, but any father was better than none.

"Your father has many enemies”, she explained in a much more tender manner than her husband. “You and all of us would be in danger if anyone knew of your relationship. We have to continue like your father was the dead navigator Anakin Skywalker. Otherwise your life would be in great danger."

"I can't tell even Biggs?"

"No, not even Biggs. You'd be putting Biggs's life in danger as well. Promise, Luke. Promise me."

Luke adapted the serious look from Owen and nodded. He didn't really see how it could hurt him for people to know who his father was, but he trusted his guardians. “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

Captain Ophay seemed relieved when Darth Vader returned to the Star Destroyer _Exactor._ The Captain informed they had tried to contact him without any apparent success after their sensors had detected the sandstorm in the area Vader had been heading to. Vader let it go, although technically he could have killed someone for attempting to disturb his Jedi hunt.

Instead, he used this slight irritation to mask his true feelings concerning the mission. It must have been nine years since he'd felt happiness like this. And such hatred at the same time. Ever since his transformation he'd known he could not trust Sidious, but treachery of this scale was far worse than he had ever expected. Sidious must have known he had not killed his own wife. And yet the Sith Master had led him to believe so, in order to chain his new apprentice to himself forever. With the promise that in time his servitude to him and to the Dark Side would make the guilt eating him alive go away. And Vader had fallen into this trap willingly, never questioning his Master's words when he had asked of her.

_It seems, in your anger, you killed her._

But it wasn't true. It could not be. She had lived to give birth. He had harmed her and for that he would never forgive himself, but he had _not_ killed her.

Darth Vader marched straight into his quarters. The ship wouldn't move before he'd contacted the Emperor. He needed to report as if all was as it should.

This time the Emperor appeared almost immediately. Vader knelt down.

"It is done, then, my apprentice?" the Sith Lord rasped from under the black hood shadowing his face.

"Yes, my Master. Kenobi is finally dead."

"Good", the Emperor relished the word like sweet Nabooian blossom wine.

Vader waited a while before bowing his head a little deeper. "With your permission, my Master, I shall return to the fleet now."

"Of course, Lord Vader. You have done well", his Master commended –and paused. "But..."

Vader did not dare to move a muscle. For a while, time seemed to stand still. He would have held his breath had he been able to, so perhaps it was better he couldn't, for that would have surely given him away.

"You seem a little...shaken, my friend”, the Sith Master chose his words carefully. “Are you not satisfied with the death of Kenobi?"

Vader hesitated. "It...has affected me more than I thought it would, my Master."

"Hmm, you continue to surprise me with your petty sensitivity, Lord Vader”, the Emperor hissed through his teeth. “Forget about Kenobi. Return to the fleet and channel your hate to destroy our enemy."

Behind his mask, Darth Vader allowed himself a small smirk. "As you wish, my Master."


	10. VI

Luke Skywalker woke up gasping from a nightmare. Still the same dream, yet changed again. The blackness was darker than ever and the oppressive feeling of being watched worse than ever. And now it had a name.

The Emperor.

Luke had no idea who or what the Emperor truly was, but just the sound of it and the look on aunt Beru's face when she had pronounced the name that had silenced even Darth Vader was more than enough to convince him  _the Emperor_  meant something bad. Something very, very  _bad_.

And now he could also name the person he was in his dreams. It wasn't really him this Emperor wanted. At least he hoped so. It was Anakin Skywalker. It was the father of his dreams who could no longer be, now that he knew the truth. The cold emptiness that filled him in his dreams and the hot flames that licked his body and the paralysing horror of not being able to breathe were the dreams of a hero father dying. Hero father who had never existed beyond his dreams.

"Luke."

Luke jumped at the unfamiliar voice and dived under his covers.

"Luke, don't be afraid. I'm not here to harm you."

Luke peeked into the room. To his horror, a blue, glowing man stood in the corner of his room.

He considered screaming for aunt Beru then and there.

"No, no, no! Don't scream", the man hurried to stop him. "You don't need to be afraid of me."

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi”, the man said with a gentle smile on his face. ”But you might know me better as Ben. I came to see that you are unharmed."

"Ben..?" the boy repeated, recognising the name. "How did you get in? And why are glowing..? I can see through you..!"

"I'm afraid my condition is something one might call a ghost", the man said, sitting down on his bed now that Luke seemed more curious than frightened.

The boy gaped at him in awe. "Really?! Wow... Just wait till I tell Biggs! He'll be so jealous."

"Ahem, no… I think it would be better you would not mention me at all."

"Why not..?" Luke whined. His friends in school would be thrilled if he'd tell them he'd met a real ghost!

"A few believe in ghosts”, the man replied thoughtfully. ”And you should not attract any unwanted attention to yourself, my boy."

Luke folded his arms and pouted his lips. "I'm not allowed to tell anything anymore..." he muttered.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not allowed to talk about it."

The man shrugged good-naturedly. "I'm a ghost, I can't see why you couldn't tell to me."

Luke lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not stupid, you know. I'm not falling for that. You could be a holo."

Obi-Wan looked at the boy for several seconds before laughing. "Very well, Luke. You seem unharmed. No one came here, then?"

Now it was Luke's turn to narrow his eyes in suspicion. "What do _you_  mean?"

Obi-Wan brought his hand on his chin and stroked his beard, considering his words before talking. "Luke, a very dangerous man could be looking for you the very moment. You, your uncle and aunt might need to flee. Your lives could be in a terrible danger."

"You mean the Emperor?" Luke gasped, his eyes suddenly saucer wide.

"What?” Ben exclaimed. ”Stars no, not him. Not yet, I hope. But he might as well, very soon. You–" Obi-Wan paused. " _Who_  told you of the Emperor?"

"Aunt Beru said something about him when Vader wanted to–" Luke quickly slapped his hands over his mouth.

Obi-Wan, if possible for a ghost, paled. Was he late? Time was so difficult to determine now that he was part of the Force. It helped to understand why Qui-Gon, who didn't have a 'physical' form seemed to have even more difficulties. He gulped. "Vader was here?"

"I didn't say anything."

Obi-Wan leaned closer to the boy, all his concentration diracted at the child. "Luke, this is  _very_ important. Did Vader come here? What did he say?"

"I don't know what you're talking about", Luke insisted and futilely tried to hit him with a pillow. “Go away.”

"Luke,  _listen_  to me” the Jedi pleaded, ignoring the attempted attack. “Darth Vader is very dangerous. He will hurt you. I must know what he said to you. Please, Luke.  _He killed your father._ "

Luke's face twisted in sudden anger. "Liar! He  _is_  my father! That's why he was here!  _You_ 're one the enemies he warned us about!"

Obi-Wan's nonexistent heart skipped a beat. "He told you? Luke, listen, it's not the whole truth”, he tried to explain desperately, but he knew he had misjudged the situation horribly, and his words had only done damage. Luke hadn't trusted him in the first place, now he might never trust him. “Darth Vader is an evil man. Your father, Anakin Skywalker was a dear friend of mine. He was a  _good_  person. But he was seduced by the Dark Side. The good man that was your father died and became the evil known as Darth Vader."

"No! Get away from me! Aunt Beru! Aunt Beru!"

“Luke, please, calm down–“

“Luke? Luke, what's wrong?” came a muted voice behind the door.

“Aunt Beru!” Luke jumped from the bed and pinned himself against his aunt as soon as she emerged from the doorway. “That suspicious holo-guy just appeared out of nowhere!”

“Luke, are you alright? There's no one in here”, she tried to calm the boy down. “Did you have a nightmare? Who were you talking to before you started yelling? Are you playing one of those games again? You know what I've said about playing them after bed time.”

Luke turned to point at the ghost, but Obi-Wan was gone. “He was just there!”

Beru frowned at him. Unlike usual, the boy didn't seem scared, just agitated. “Luke, honey, you had a nightmare again. There's no one in here.”

“But–“

“No buts, Luke. Come on, back to sleep.”

Luke gave one final glance at the room before climbing back to bed, but the glowing man had disappeared. Beru stayed again to check all the possible hiding places, even though he said she wouldn't need to. When she was gone, he waited for the ghost to appear again, but he was left alone to sleep in peace for the rest of the night.

* * *

It took full three weeks before Starkiller saw his Master again. His arrival was a surprise, as it usually took several months before Master Vader was able to return to Scarl System to see his apprentice personally. Which was why he was standing in his full training gear, clutching a broken datachip and covered in sweat when the black Eta-2 Actis interceptor gently landed on the docking bay's polished floor. PROXY hovered nearby. The droid did not want to stay too close when there was a possibility of the Sith Lord getting angry.

The engines died and he heard a familiar hiss of an airlock. Darth Vader emerged from the cockpit and Starkiller dropped on one knee. “Welcome back, Master.”

Vader's boots hit the hangar floor almost soundlessly. It was amazing how gracefully the Sith Lord could move despite all the machinery in his body. Starkiller admired how effortlessly his Master could utilise the Force. He rose, but kept his head bowed down, reaching out his hand.

“Forgive me, my Master. I broke it. Please accept my deepest apology.”

He had broken things before. None of those times had his Master been pleased and he expected nothing less than a severe punishment. He wasn't a child anymore, after all. But Vader hardly even looked at him, striding past his young apprentice without uttering a word.

“Master..?”

“Not now, Starkiller”, came a stern reply. “Come.”

Starkiller quickly tugged the datachip in his pocket and hurried after his Master. Vader led him into a familiar room with a huge panorama window. Once it was furnished it would serve as some sort of a lounge, and it was right next to the rooms Master Vader occupied whenever he came to Scarl, but would not be his permanent quarters. There'd be quarters closer to the bridge. Starkiller had never gone in any of these rooms, even though he was curious. Maybe one day when he had more confidence in his abilities to get in and out without Master Vader noticing. But he was not willing to test his Master on that just yet.

The said black clad man paused in front of the window. Starkiller knelt down to wait. Soon, Vader began pacing as was his habit whenever something was on his mind. At least that was how Starkiller interpreted it. Eventually, the Sith Lord talked.

"I have a mission for you.”

Starkiller couldn't help but to lift up his head in boyish, tingling excitement. A mission! _Finally..!_

“It won't be anything like any of the previous missions I have given you."

And there was something else, something about his Master he could barely grasp... A feeling, a cloud of pitch black emotions that seemed to whirl around the Dark Lord. A dangerous, murderous intention and determination. He saw Master's hand pause right above his lightsabre momentarily. There were only so many people who awoke such animosity in his Master.

"Your spies have located a Jedi?"

The Dark Lord stopped his pacing and turned to face him. "Yes. And I have already taken care of him."

Starkiller smartly bowed his head. It was arrogant of him to think such an important mission would have been trusted to him just yet. He knew very well that he'd be chopped in half before he'd even have time to attack, were he sent to fight a real Jedi. He had barely come back in one piece when sent to fight a padawan.

"Of course, my Master."

Vader turned to face the blackness of space and for a long time the only sound in the room was his steady breathing and the distant sound of droids at work. Starkiller listened, but apparently his Master was lost in thought –not an unusual situation. He knew he should just stay put and not push his luck, but the curiosity was killing him.

"Who was it?"

As soon as the words left his lips he half expected to be Force pushed at the far end of the room, but today his Master simply answered the question.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Starkiller's eyes widened. Master Vader had been hunting down this man for years! Vader had even once mentioned that Kenobi had been a ally or something of his a long time ago. Before this “friend” turned against him and apparently caused master Vader his grave injuries, that is.

"You killed him", he gasped excitedly. How he wished his Master would tell him about it in more detail!

"Not nearly as slow as I should have..."

Starkiller heard the leather gloves tightening into fists. The room's temperature seemed to drop. He could feel the dark energy pulsating around the dark robed man, and the anger, the pure hatred that was silently leaking into the room. It was cold, but he breath in the intoxicating Dark Side of the Force that had the taste of his Master in it. One day, he'd be as powerful as the Dark Lord. More powerful.

"His betrayal was far worse than I had ever expected. _My child_ is alive and he had him hidden from me all these years."

A small gasp escaped from Starkiller's lips. Master Vader had a son?

"Were the Emperor to know of my son's existence, he would either have him killed or use him to replace me."

Starkiller's face twisted with hate at the mention of the Emperor. Vader had taught him well.

"The boy is strong in the Force. Like a shining beacon, and unable to hide it. Obi-Wan had wisely been shielding his presence, but now he may not stay hidden for long", Vader talked and turned abruptly. "I will send you to my son. You are to make sure he stays hidden. The Emperor must _never_ learn of his existence."

Starkiller felt his heartbeat fasten with both, pride and excitement. This was far more important than getting to kill a Jedi. This meant his Master really must have trusted in his abilities, to trust something like the safety of his _son_ to him. He could have jumped out of the sheer anticipation, but from the outside he was careful not to let his unemotional mask betray too much of his feelings. Still, he could barely keep out the thrilled note from his voice when he replied: "As you wish, my Master."

A small nudge in the Force told him it was time to stand up. Starkiller fixed his gaze at the black mask, waiting.

"You will leave tomorrow. I have already arranged for your transport. Once you arrive to your destination, there will be people to pick you up. You are to do as they tell you and treat them with the same respect you'd treat me. PROXY will have all the information you need. Now go. And _do not fail me_ ", Vader said, pointing his finger at him to emphasise the final threat. Starkiller had heard it often enough to know the threat was real, but this time he could feel cold darkness crawl deep inside his bones.

"I won't", he swore. It was time to go. He bowed before turning around to leave the room. Right before the doors closed behind him, Vader suddenly spoke. Starkiller gasped at the words, not quite sure if heard it right or if he imagined it altogether.

"One more thing. Your name is Galen Marek."

 

* * *

 

Starkiller lay on his bed, Vader's words spinning in his head. Galen Marek. Was _that_ his name? His real birth name?

He didn't feel like Galen Marek. It was a stupid name. It wasn't a Sith name.

The cracked datadisk still lay untouched on his table. He should have confessed Master Vader he'd broken it, but there hadn't been any good moment to say it. He did not harbour dreams of keeping it secret, but now it looked like he wouldn't get a chance to tell any time soon.

He knew he should have been packing or at least training or meditating instead of wasting his time like this, but he equally knew he couldn't concentrate on any of those before PROXY would arrive with more information. It must have already been several hours since he had left his Master's presence, so he hoped the droid should be back soon. He ought to keep his senses opened. You never knew when PROXY decided it was a good time to ambush him. Today apparently wasn't, as he soon heard the droid walk in and there was no hologram on. He jumped out of the bunk to greet him.

"Well? What'd he tell you?" he asked immediately after the door had closed behind the droid.

"Lord Vader has informed me of our new mission. We are to leave tomorrow morning of Imperial standard navy time."

"I know, I know. Details, PROXY, tell me the details", he said impatiently and sat back on the bed, drawing his legs on as well.

"Master, I am afraid I am not authorised to tell you our final destination."

"What? Why not?"

PROXY ignored him. "A pilot will fly us to Corellia. You are not to leave him alive."

"Got it”, he shrugged. “But I thought I was supposed to go to wherever Master's son is. If Corellia is not our final destination, does that mean he's not there? Or will we pick him up and take him somewhere else?"

Starkiller was dying for more details. His mind was racing with ideas.

"I'm sorry, master. I cannot answer your questions."

The boy sat down with a sigh. "It's alright. I know you're just following your programming."

"Speaking of which, I'm devastated to inform you that my primary programming has been overwritten", PROXY said, looking as miserable as a droid just could.

"What!? You– Master re-programmed you to _not_ kill me?" Starkiller could hardly believe his ears. PROXY had, as long as he had known him, been trying to kill him on a weekly basis.

"Yes", the droid sighed. "I am sorry to disappoint you. My current main programming is to take you to his son without anyone following us or knowing where we are heading to."

"That's...umm... I'm sorry PROXY. I'm sure you get used to it", he tried to reassure the droid and patted the metallic arm of his friend. To him it sounded more like a temporary re-programming. Once they'd found master's son, the main program was likely to kick back on and they'd be back to normal. Better not get used to it.

"Guess I better start packing then", he muttered, throwing his feet on the floor again. "What time are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow at 0700. Master, I advise you to pack all you have. It will take us some time to reach our destination."

"Oh..." Starkiller sighed, opening his drawer. He didn't have much, especially now that half of his clothes were either useless rags or needed to be sewn together. Another thing he should have brought up with his Master. He had never had much clothes, just the amount that he could survive a week without having something washed. Now he didn't even have that. He threw everything into the only rucksack he had while the original question popped in his head again.

"PROXY... Did my Master say anything about 'Galen Marek' to you?"

The droid had plugged himself to his usual place in the wall for re-charge. "Isn't that your name, master?"

"It is?" The boy got up and headed for his collection of canned foods and ration bars. "That's what he said, too, but... He's always called me Starkiller."

"I am not an expert of human behaviour, but perhaps Lord Vader sees it fit for you to have a name instead of a code name for this mission?"

The boy picked a can of food he had no idea what it was, but it was eatable. The label only said 'artificial nutrient paste'. There wasn't much to choose from on an unfinished Star Destroyer. He popped it open and rummaged a drawer for a spoon. There already was a fully equipped kitchen and dining hall several floors down from the staff's living quarter area he spent most of his time, but the turbolifts weren't working yet and the emergency stairways were not lit, so he didn't often go there. It was easier to snatch a weeks supply of whatever he might need and return only when necessary.

"I guess so", he mumbled while chewing his first spoonful of the greenish goo. "So, are you going to call me that from now on? Galen..?"

The name had an odd taste. He wasn't sure if he could get used to being called by it. Could it possibly be the name he had been born with? Or a name Vader had simply given him for this mission? The latter seemed more likely, but then again, it _was_ a stupid name...

"Not yet at least, master."

"Great..." Apparently this also fell into the category of 'un-authorised matters of discussion'. On a sudden whim he also added a small tool kit and the only datapad he owned into his bag along with some more food. All he could do now was to wait patiently. And as his Master had taught him, the patience of Darkness was infinite. It was where he should aim as well.

 

* * *

 

Starkiller was up with plenty of time to spare. After his usual morning exercises, he headed to the hangar and found an unfamiliar small vessel next to Master's specially modified one man ship. His own ship, the _Rogue Shadow_ waited further away from the airlock.

“Ah, our ship has arrived”, PROXY commented upon seeing the new vessel.

“We won't be taking the _Rogue Shadow_? _”_

“We are to abandon our pilot _and_ our ship”, the droid explained.

Starkiller nodded and walked closer to examine the vessel. He wasn't an expert when it came to starships, unlike his Master, but he could tell it was a fine, Corellian made vehicle and definitely not meant for military use. Not too fancy to attract attention, yet not too plain to assure it would get stolen in no time when left behind.

"Hey! Kid! What are you doing there? Get away from my ship!"

Starkiller and PROXY turned to face a man in his mid-thirties running towards them. He was dressed in civilian clothes, but they way he held himself proposed an army background.

"What are you doing here?" the man repeated once he'd reached them.

Starkiller frowned. "I'm waiting for my pilot. You?"

"Accessing Imperial records", PROXY started, nailing the man's cocky Corellian accent upon activating a simulation of the man standing in front of him. "Captain Misca Cobber, 36-years old. Born on Corellia, graduated from the Imperial Academy on it's third operational year. He served the Republic during the final months of the Clone Wars–“

Starkiller stopped listening. _So, a Corellian man on a Corellian ship in Corellia_ , he thought. Who would also soon die in Corellia. The man was probably officially on leave, so the death wouldn't even be dealt by the Navy, but the the local authorities on Corellia.

"What the... Who are you two?"

"Should I provide you with more specific information, master?"

"No PROXY, that's fine, thanks", Starkiller waved his hand at the droid, who dropped the simulation. "I believe you're here to take me to Corellia", he said to the man, ignoring his questions.

"You?" The captain didn't seem convinced. No wonder Lord Vader had sent him on this suicide mission. He didn't seem like a person who could just shut up and do what he was told to without questioning it. His voice took even a slightly whiny tone when he said: "I was told this was an important mission."

"You think Lord Vader lied?" the boy challenged.

 _Patience_ , he reminded himself. He couldn't kill the man before they'd even left the construction site.

"Ah, no, but... Well he did mention some agent I was supposed to give a ride." Captain Cobber eyed him suspiciously and then moved to PROXY.

" _The droid_ is Vader's agent? Well, what do you know..."

Starkiller's lightsaber was on the man's throat before he had even finished his sentence and had time to notice it. No point hiding the man he knew how to handle such weapon, when the man was already dead. He just didn't know it yet. Cobber drew a surprised breath.

" _My job_ is to bring Lord Vader's enemies to justice. PROXY only assists me. Now get the ship ready, so that we can be on our way. The quicker we reach Corellia, the quicker I don't need to see your face ever again."

The captain gulped. It wasn't like he was used to taking orders from someone who looked younger than his own son. The whole thing seemed ridiculous to him, but then again, this kid was holding lightsaber on his throat despite being a lot shorter.

"Right...I apologise, sir. I'll get the ship ready."

Starkiller lowered the 'sabre. "Good."

The man saluted and hurried to do whatever was needed to fly this ship. The apprentice knew little to nothing about spaceships apart from the _Rogue Shadow_ and the one he was living in. And no way could he fly the latter, even if it had been fully constructed.

The vessel in front of him was small and apparently not made for long Hyperspace jumps. It wasn't as small as a fighter, but a lot smaller than a standard imperial shuttle he'd seen or the _Rogue Shadow_. He followed the man indoors with the little he had. There was no separate cockpit. Instead, there were three seats behind the confined pilot's seat and none for a co-pilot. Apparently a ship this small didn't need one. Definitely not a ship for overnight jumps.

Starkiller took a seat next to the wall and laid down his rucksack on the middle one. PROXY followed behind and placed himself to the seat left. Lieutenant looked at him over his shoulder.

"Everything ready, sir?"

A pleasant change of an attitude. Starkiller glanced at PROXY. He had hoped Master would have come and said him some final words or given more specific information, but apparently it was just the two of them now.

"Yeah..." he muttered and closed his eyes. He heard the ramp and the door close behind them, and the engines hummed to life. PROXY would soon shut himself down and he didn't care what the pilot did. Starkiller had only a vague idea of how long it'd take to reach Corellia. It was all very exciting. He'd never been that close to the Core and with all the secrecy this was far the most important mission he'd ever had. He _could not_ let his Master down. Failing was never an option, but he would have felt better if he would have known where he was going and what exactly he was supposed to do there.

The boy let out a small sigh as he felt the ship rise. Oh well, he'd have several hours to meditate on the matter.

 

* * *

 

Darth Vader watched from afar the ship take off. He had not gone to see Starkiller, for he did not know what he would have done. He might have killed the boy on the spot. In Owen's garage, with his son sleeping on his lap it had all felt so clear. It had felt like the only possible solution.

Had he done the right thing?

The first thought to cross his mind had been that he would not need Starkiller anymore. Together with his son they could defeat the Emperor, he could feel it. An apprentice was not needed. He could either banish the boy or just kill him to assure his silence. Or just send him to his doom by some other means. He had Luke now. He could train his son in secrecy, just as he had done with Starkiller–

But no. Even now he was not completely sure if Starkiller truly was a secret from his Master. He could not risk Luke by starting to visit Tatooine like he had done with the Scarl shipyard. Neither could he take Luke with him. If he could not see his son, he could not have him trained either.

He would have to leave Luke with Owen and Beru. It was the safest place for him to be. And Vader himself could never go back. He would never get to see his son again. Her son. Their child.

And Luke would be denied the training that was his birthright. With such a massive Force potential it ached him to think his son would have to live half blind I order to survive. Such a bright and magnificent aura...

...currently hidden only because of Obi-Wan's shielding. But it would not stay so for long without the Jedi amongst the living. For now, Vader could strengthen the shielding, but eventually it would fade away. When that happened, would the Emperor notice him? He could not tell for sure, but the possibility existed. He needed someone to shield Luke, for he had no time to teach the boy to do so himself.

So Starkiller could still prove useful for his plans, after all. But just seeing the boy yesterday had sickened him. For so long he had poured all his time and patience and hopes to this child, while Obi-Wan had been hiding his true heir. A part of him, a part undoubtedly left of Anakin, had wanted to substitute the lost child with Kento Marek's son. And that sickened him more than anything.

It baffled him to see the blind trust in Starkiller's eyes. The boy believed and knew full well he could get killed any second, yet he placed all his trust on his Master. Vader had come _so close_ to the point where he would have drawn his weapon and beheaded the child. The boy's open admiration offended him.

A screech pulled Vader back to the reality. He looked down to the railing he had been leaning into with both of his hands. Without noticing, he had gripped the metal bar harder and harder, until he had accidentally pulled it out of the wall.

Slowly Darth Vader uncurled his fingers. The railing was left hanging mutilated, still supported by the vertical bars.

 _What is done, is done_ , he thought, giving a one last glance to the airlock. All he could do, was to trust Starkiller. But if becoming a Sith had taught him one thing, it was to never trust anyone. He had thought he knew this before, but only the last nine years had truly taught him its true meaning. The least he could trust his own Master. For all he knew, Starkiller was still a secret, but he could not be sure. The Emperor's games were endless and he was always several steps ahead of his apprentice –which was why he had sent Starkiller on a long detour without any knowledge of his destination.

He was still able to change his mind. Just a word from him, and PROXY could activate all of the training modules in its memory. Starkiller was good, but not good enough to yet beat the best opponents PROXY had to offer. All he needed to do was to give an order and Starkiller would die.

He knew he could trust PROXY. He had assembled the droid himself. And just yesterday he had literally taken the droid apart to make sure it was not tracked or being listened. It hadn't been. Perhaps he was acting paranoid, but he felt better when he knew he had done all he could.

Despite the harsh reality of trust and the conflict within himself, he was fairly certain he could trust in Starkiller's loyalty. The boy would not betray him, he had no loyalties to anyone else. That he could trust. But the boys abilities...he could not. No matter how loyal and eager to prove himself, Starkiller was twelve years old. He was a child. And at that age he himself had made more mistakes than he cared to remember.

 

* * *

 

Starkiller opened his eyes just in time to see the blue haze of Hyperspace turn into normal blackness of the space. Except that there was a planet not far away from them and their small vessel wasn't the only one. Corellia had one moon, but from the direction they were coming, it was almost hidden behind the planet. When they got closer, he could see ships leaving and entering the planet's atmosphere all the time. There were several bigger ones orbiting the planet, one of them being an Imperial Star Destroyer. While captain Cobber communicated with the Corellian air control, Starkiller set up to wake up his droid.

"I would have automatically switched on in 48.7 seconds", PROXY informed him. Starkiller just rolled his eyes and watched fascinated as the planet surface came closer. There were high buildings reaching for the skies as far in the horizon as he could see, and the city's air was filled with speeders. He assumed it was Coronet, the capital, the Jewel of Corellia. It reminded him of the holos he'd seen about Coruscant, just not as extreme.

They landed in building entirely made for parking small ships. Theirs was among the smallest ones.

"Here we are, sir", the captain said. "Corellia."

"Good job", Starkiller smiled. One slight movement of a wrist and the man's blaster flew to his hand. "And now I don't need you anymore."

One shot to the back and the man was dead. Starkiller dropped the gun on his seat and quickly searched the man's pockets. He was in serious need of money as Lord Vader would give him only very small amounts of cash to spare. His master never encouraged the boy to steal, quite the opposite, but in delicate situations as this, it was important the credits could not be traced back to Darth Vader under any circumstances.

"Come on, PROXY. Time to go."

There were no people outside and the only visible staff seemed to be droids. It took him a while to convince the droid to let him pass as he was clearly under age, but eventually he managed to make the droid believe that his father was still in the ship and that he would take care of the parking ticket, once he'd leave.

"So, where do we go now?" Starkiller asked the holodroid and stretched his arms after they were at a safe distance from the building.

"We will move to the main spaceport of the city, where we will find our next ride", PROXY answered and led the way.

"And I suppose you're still not going to tell exactly _where_ we are going?"

"Quite correct, master."

The boy followed the droid through the city. There were people of every age, seemingly from all sides of the galaxy, although the great majority were humans. For a boy who had lived most of his life alone on a huge construction site, the crowd was startling. And the crowds just got worse as they approached the Blue Sector, as PROXY had called it. Cantinas, tattoo parlours, casinos and cheap hotels were everywhere. It reminded him of a place he'd been before the disastrous mission that got his pilot killed. Lord Vader had sent him on some Outer Rim planet to dispose a traitorous spy. He never got to know the planet's name, but like it, the Blue Sector seemed like a dangerous place at night.

"Master, according to my databanks there is a famous bazaar near here. I suggest you buy yourself some food. The flight will be long."

Starkiller frowned. "How long exactly?"

"I'm sorry master, I cannot tell you that until we are on-board."

"Great..." the boy muttered, but followed the droid.

"Welcome to Treasure Ship Row! Welcome to Treasure Ship Row!" a young Human woman called with a megaphone and handed out leaflets for everyone passing her.

"Please visit The Great Blue Rancor! The best game arcade on the street!"

"Come in, come in people!"

"Sale! Sale! Only for today! Sale!"

The noise was overwhelming. The streets were packed with people, everyone trying to sell them something, hand leaflets, offer free samples or just call the crowd with the megaphones. Some of the shops were simple and small stalls, some were tall buildings with neon signs, flashing lights and loud music, where as the neighbour might have been a stylish and modern clothing store next to a antique shop. Whatever one was looking for, it was very likely one could get it from the Rows -if one had time to search for it.

"PROXY, we need to find a place that sells food", Starkiller called over his shoulder. And he needed more credits. Fortunately, with the Force by his side, all he needed to do, was nicely ask someone to hand over their money. He'd just need to find a suitable person... "PROXY?"

No answer came from the droid. Irritated the boy turned around, but to his horror, there was no holodroid at sight. At all. He was gone.

"PROXY?! PROXY, where are you?" he called, a slight panic dripping to his voice as he realised it had been quite some time since he'd actually been sure the droid was with him. Now that he thought of it, the last time he remembered seeing the droid was when he'd been the one doing the following. At some point he'd lost the droid from his sight, but too distracted by all the bustle around him, he'd assumed the droid was following him instead.

"Oh no..." _What do I do now, what do I do now..?_ He'd have to find PROXY, there was no other option. He couldn't -he would not fail this! He had a mission, his first _important_ mission, but he could not go on without the droid's information. He'd rather die while searching, than go back to his Master, to admit he was just a ridiculous, miserable failure and get killed for wasting so many years of his Master's life.

"Shit...PROXY, where are you..?"


	11. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so sorry for not updating for so long. I'm sorry. I've no excuses.

Starkiller tried to go back the way he’d come. He scanned the crowd, but it was hard when you were twelve and the great majority of beings around you were considerably taller. He wasn't worried of PROXY getting stolen, he was way too smart and well equipped for fighting to be caught easily. Even if he was, the apprentice was positive there was a emergency program to wipe the memory or even a self-destruct. He shuddered at the thought of his only friend been blown into little, messy pieces.

“Excuse me? Have you seen a holodroid?”

No one had. In fact, most people ignored him. After wandering around for an hour the area they’d walked, he felt like giving up. He would never see his companion again. Worse, he’d betrayed lord Vader and his Master’s son he hadn’t even met yet!

Taking a deep breath he tried to calm himself down and called upon the Force. He could not find a machine with it, but perhaps it'd help him to decide what to do. If nothing else, the Dark Side made him feel confident. He tapped into all the negative feelings people around him were radiating. Hurry and irritation. Occasional anger or aggression. It all fed him and helped him to focus on the mission at hand.

PROXY had mentioned the main spaceport. Perhaps the droid had gone there despite losing him. He could as well go there, since he would not make any progress here.

The young apprentice turned and started heading back to where he'd lost PROXY. On the way, he pick-pocketed himself some more credits and asked directions from a small kiosk while waiting for the alien to pack him a warm fast food lunch he purchased. There had been no sight of his droid, but he kept asking. He stopped at a bakery to buy something more for the upcoming journey. He had no idea how long his flight was going to take, assuming he’d be able to locate his missing droid. It wasn't until the outskirts of the Treasure Ship Row that he got the answer he'd been looking for.

"A tall and thin one? Yeah, I saw one. Very unusual. Never seen a model like that. It wandered here about half an hour ago."

"Which way did he go?"

The Selonian man pointed the direction Starkiller had been heading to.

“What about the spaceport?”

The man nodded towards the same direction.

“Thank you”, the apprentice sighed in relief.

Starkiller did not want to think what he would do if he could not find PROXY. He was almost running when he approached the spaceport. The desperation almost got better of him when he realised how huge the building was and how packed with people even the front doors were. There were a lot of people just standing and waiting for someone.

“Excuse me? Has anyone seen a holodroid?”

Again, most people ignored the 12-year old boy. Some would look at him as if he was a homeless street rat. It was quite possible he looked like one. Finally, an old man grunted him that there indeed were some droids waiting as well, but he would have to go inside to the area specifically separated as a waiting area for droids. Starkiller rushed in.

“PROXY?” the apprentice called out when he saw the group of droids. Most of them were various models of some sort of servant droids. To his great relief and joy, he noticed a familiar shape. “PROXY!”

“Ah, master! Finally.”

“Finally? What do you mean, I've been looking for you everywhere! Where'd you go?"

“I was instructed to do so as a test. Come, master, we should get going. I hope–"

Starkiller’s face fell. "Test? It was a test?!"

Did Lord Vader trust him so little? Had he thought his apprentice might run away? Or that he’d fail this early on?

"Yes. Now, we really should get inside. We have already missed one flight.”

“Wait!” Starkiller ran after his droid and settled to walk with him. “Did I pass?”

“Oh yes. I see you even remembered my advice of buying yourself food. I hope you have enough credits as well?”

The boy frowned. “Depends on how much we need.”

“We have missed our flight to Mandalore, so we will be taking another one. This one is cheaper.”

“We’re going to Mandalore?” Starkiller gasped. He had read of Mandalore warriors and he knew of the Mandalore armour wearing bounty hunter Boba Fett, to whose services Darth Vader often relied on. It’d be interesting to get to see these Force blind people, who could still stand up against the Force users in a fight.

“Not anymore.”

The boy’s face fell again. “No? I thought we’d go to”, Starkiller lowered his voice, “see _his_ son. If he’s on Mandalore–”

“No, master, he isn’t on Mandalore. Mandalore was merely a detour. There, we shall take this one”, PROXY said and pointed at a screen displaying arrivals and departures.

“Eriadu..?” Starkiller made an unconvinced snort. He eyed at the flight information. “But that ship is going to stop in every inhabited planet in this system! And many of the systems on the way, too! It says it’ll take _four_ days to get to Eriadu.”

“But it is cheap and suits our needs, master. I told you it was going to be a long flight.” 

* * *

Darth Vader paced his quarters on _Exactor_. The war efforts at Dressel had engaged his thoughts for the past two weeks, but now he was on his way back to Coruscant. The crew had fallen to routines and the Hyperspace assured nothing eventful should happen for the next ten hours. The sudden free time had resurfaced the problem with Starkiller. If everything had gone well, the boy should be arriving on Tatooine today.

He was worried, and he hated being worried. The entire feeling disgusted him, so he quickly shoved it aside. Vader gestured with his hand to open the meditation pod. Maybe some “fresh” air would help to solve his problem.

He still hadn’t found a solution. He needed a messenger, preferably an adult who could move more freely than he or Starkiller now could. Someone who could keep an eye on both of the boys. He needed someone to fly  _Rogue Shadow_ to Tatooine and get rid of all the evidence of somebody ever living on _Executor_.

Vader let a pleasurable sigh when the mask came off and cool, purified air hit his face. It had been a long time since he had had time to sit down and just breathe without the respirator. Not that he really had time now either. The work and messages on his computer had been piling up while he'd been on the planet along with the 501st.

His eyes lingered on the dark reflection on the screen’s black surface. A pale, scarred man looked back, but he could now look at it without wanting to shatter the computer screen every single time. Surely he wasn’t the only man in the galaxy with a burnt face.

The thought triggered a sudden flash of a memory. A burnt man. But not himself. He frowned until attaching the face to a proper name.

“Lekauf...” he muttered under his breath.

The man no longer worked for him as far as he knew. He had requested to be reassigned after an unfortunate return flight from Yinchorr’s training centre, where he had spent several months training clones of himself. Erv Lekauf had been a marvelously competent personal assistant of his over five years ago. The Lieutenant had returned to his work after being freed from the medcentre, but resigned soon after. Although Vader regretted to lose a man such as Lekauf, he had felt the man deserved it. Brave and loyal to the point of foolishness –and he had proved it by leaping in front of burning gas aimed at Vader.

An idea began to form in his head. “Yes...”

Lekauf would do. Better. He was a perfect candidate for the job.

Vader brought the computer alive and after some searching accessed his employee records. It didn’t take long to locate Lekauf. The Lieutenant still worked for him after all, but had moved to the intelligence department into a lower position with regular working hours. No wonder he hadn’t seen the man since.

One problem might arise, though. Lekauf had a family and he obviously loved them. Unless Vader got lucky and would find the man divorced, but a little more research proved Lekauf's status was still married. Although it could prove a problem, Vader was pleased to learn Lekauf was still together with his wife.

Too bad he would be the one to separate them.

* * *

The four day flight to Eriadu had been uneventful, long and tiring. None had questioned his fake Coruscanti passport (of course not, it was as good as the real thing), nor the fact that he, a child, was travelling alone with only a droid at his side. The ticket for PROXY had been more expensive than his, as he was still young enough to get discount. With a Force trick he'd also managed to get free food coupons.

The ship was old and the landings and take-offs had been rocky. The chairs were uncomfortable after so many hours of sitting, but there wasn't much space to walk around in the passenger area. Whenever they landed, the people who weren't staying behind weren't allowed to get out of the ship on most planets. Starkiller tried to spend his time meditating, while PROXY spent most of his time entirely shut off.

Once they had arrived to Eriadu, PROXY had informed they wouldn't stay. The same happened on the next planet, and the next, and the next until they had arrived on Nar Shaddaa. They took a short flight to the infamous moon's planet Nal Hutta, from where they stepped on a similar ship as they had taken from Corellia to Eriadu. Only this time, the journey would take less than two days and the ship's condition was even worse than the first one's had been. The ship's first stop had been Nal Hutta's neigbour Rorak, from where it had gone to Circuntore. It had then started to follow the Hollastin Run all the way to a planet called Syvris, where it changed to the Triellus Trade Route and would go all the way to Arkanis. Arkanis was the planet the current sector they where at was named by and the Corellian Run also crossed it, so naturally Starkiller had first assumed that would have been their stop. Which felt stupid, since if they were going to Arkanis, they could have taken a much shorter flight there straight from Corellia. But no, according to PROXY they would be leaving a little earlier. So their stop was?

“Tatooine...” Starkiller muttered, trying to find a more comfortable position. He'd never heard of the planet, but then again, so was the case with all the other Outer Rim planets they'd been making stops ever since Nal Hutta. Besides, all of the announcements were in Huttese only, so he couldn't even catch most of the planet names due the accent. The only real person who he'd ever heard speaking Huttese so far had been Master Vader! Apart from him, who's accent he understood, he'd only heard overly clearly pronounced study tapes. Even all the text he'd seen for the past 38 hours had been in Huttese and he read Huttese even worse than he spoke it. Unfortunately, PROXY was not a translator and Starkiller’s own skills with the second most common language in the galaxy were still quite limited. Luckily, most of the people did know how to speak Basic, so he had managed to confirm the next planet was indeed their destination.

The ship jerked and soon after the small windows that had been tinted black became transparent. They'd come out of Hyperspace. Starkiller tried to peek out, but all he could see was space.

"Still half an hour before we land", the Rodian man between him and the window grunted. He had a thick accent and bad Basic, but they had managed to hold some conversation earlier. The man was also going to get off at Tatooine and travelled this route regularly. PROXY had been switched off ever since they had boarded, as there hadn't been any chance for the droid to recharge since they'd left Scarl System, so it was important for the droid to save energy. After all, he was the one who could identify Lord Vader's son.

"What kind of a planet is Tatooine?" Starkiller asked the Rodian. If he was lucky, this might be their final destination.

The man made a sound that could have been a laugh.

"Not much to see, son. Just sand, sand, some rocks and a little more sand. Miserable place."

"Good thing I'm not staying..." he muttered. No way could Master's son be staying in a place like that. "Do you know where I can go from Tatooine?"

This time the man was definitely laughing. "Anywhere. How much can you pay? Mos Eisley is full of pilots looking for easy jobs. More than in the capital, Bestine. Don't worry, we land to Mos Eisley. Less imperials and nobody asks too many questions.”

The apprentice nodded and leaned back on his seat. Maybe that was the plan, then. Maybe from this place they could find a pilot that they could hire, one that would ask no questions and would be easy to get rid of. Someone who no one would be left waiting for.

Starkiller was deep in thoughts for the rest of the flight and hardly noticed PROXY switching on as they begun landing. There was no hangar. As soon as the door was opened, the hot and dry air hit his face. The landing pad was outdoors and instead of duracrete the ground seemed more like it was just trodden sand. No one asked them for papers or passports. They only needed to walk good twenty meters and they were on a narrow street.

The buildings were small, mostly only two or three stores high, made of some sort of rock or clay. There were people from all sides of the galaxy, but unlike in, take, Corellia which was a wealthy planet, these people looked poor. They had been outside for only two minutes, but Starkiller already felt like fainting from the heat. And why wouldn't he, there were two suns and currently they both were high above them and there were no clouds anywhere to be seen.

"So, will we start searching for a pilot?" Starkiller asked the droid. He already felt like dropping his rucksack and stripping the hooded cloak among with his shirt. He had never been anywhere this hot. After living so many years in space, even mild climate planets felt warm to him. “We've got to get indoors, it's so hot in here.”

“A pilot, master?" PROXY asked, as surprised as a droid could be.

“Yeah. You know", the boy said, wiping his forehead to his sleeve. "To get to our next destination."

“I beg you pardon, master, but this is our final destination", PROXY stated matter-of-factly.

“ _What?_ You can't be serious."

“But I am. If I am correct, it is already past noon here. As per to our master's orders, someone should be picking us up very soon. I suggest we wait.”

Starkiller tried to search for that someone with his eyes. The small crowd the transport ship had created was disappearing fast, as all the people left for indoors. Only the crew taking care of the cargo remained. The boy tried to protect himself from the sun by hiding under the small shadow by the wall. He felt almost scared despite this being an important mission. Whoever would come would have to be some extremely high ranking in Lord Vader's eyes. And this someone was his superior.

Well. What ever would happen, he’d show his Master he was worthy of the task.

* * *

"Owen, don't you think we should be going already?"

Owen Lars didn't turn from the mechanical parts he'd been observing. "Too early."

"It's already past noon", his wife persisted. "The flight should be arriving soon. Shouldn't we be there?"

"Better we go there once he's already there."

"Fine. But at least we should have him something fresh to eat. I'm tired of vaporators. We'll go to the shop on the other side of the street, okay?"

"Sure, go ahead", the man muttered, never letting his eyes off the parts he was comparing. Beru shook his head.

"Luke? Luke, we're leaving."

"What? Already?" The boy's head peeked from behind the shelves full of shining tiny droids. It seemed to be his lucky day. For some reason aunt Beru and uncle Owen had told him not to go to school today. Better yet, they took him with them to Mos Eisley! And to a machinery shop of all the places!

"Can't I stay with uncle Owen?" he asked with a hopeful tone.

"No, you know he doesn't like you bothering him."

 "I wouldn't bother..! I could help him pick up the parts", the boy insisted.

"Too much like his damn father", Owen muttered. Out loud he said: "Go, Luke."

"Fine..." Luke marched to his aunt, making sure she'd see how much against leaving he was, but Beru only laughed and ruffled his hair. They crossed the street to a small, air conditioned shop. Luke got to hold the basket while Beru was picking up fruits and some “better” foods rarely available in Anchorhead.

“Are we having a guest?”

“Kind of. We'll see soon”, Beru answered cryptically. Luke frowned, but didn't ask. His uncle and aunt had seemed worried ever since his father's visit. They'd remind him every morning to not tell anyone about it and questioned him as soon as he got home from school. It was tiring. He wanted to have someone to talk to, but he wasn't stupid. If telling someone that Darth Vader was his father would put his friends and loved ones in danger, he wouldn't do it.

Owen was waiting by their landspeeder once they got out. Luke got to sit on the front seat, but to his surprise, they weren't heading for home just yet. Instead, they parked near one of the numerous spaceports in the city.

“I think you two should wait here.”

“Owen... Don't you trust him? Your own brother?” Beru sighed. Though her heart was still dubious and she genuinely feared the Dark Lord, her common sense told her to trust Darth Vader. Had he wanted to kill them or take Luke away, he could have done so weeks ago. _Unless this is an elaborate plan to get rid of us without any leads to him..._

Beru quickly dismissed the thought. She wanted to trust him. Behind the armour and infamous reputation he was still Shmi's son, wasn't he? She refused to believe that the son Shmi had told them about would want to harm them. To harm anyone. And still she couldn't deny the truth that that Anakin Skywalker she had heard so much about had become a dangerous, powerful man who was rumoured to kill on a whim...

_Stop thinking. Now._

“You shouldn't be so hard on him” she chided her husband gently. “He even fixed the speeder. I can't remember the last time the engine would've been running so smoothly. It's probably working better than when we bought it.”

Owen grunted something incoherent in response, parked in silence and then motioned them to get out of the speeder.

Beru shook her head and ignored him, somewhat amused, before turning her attention to her nephew. “Come on, Luke. Just one more thing to do before we can go home.”

Luke followed his aunt and uncle to the port in awe. This _really_ was his lucky day. Too bad it wasn't an area where smugglers and pirates would land. These docking bays were meant for larger vessels that operated on regular routes, carrying passengers and small cargo.

“Nal Hutta transport should have just arrived”, Beru said, looking at the departures. “Docking bay 109.”

Owen led the way. The streets weren't very busy as this time of the day, but they weren't the only ones who'd either come to pick someone up or bid someone farewell. The ship had just landed and they soon saw a crowd of people moving fast to find shelter from the heat.

“You two stay behind me”, Owen ordered as they got closer the 109th docking bay. Most of the people disappeared fast, but apart from the crew loading and unloading cargo only one boy with a tall droid remained. He was dressed in a simple, dark coloured travelling cloak and at the moment was pulling the hood to cover his head. He had a very short, shaved hair and a slightly panicked look on his young face.

Beru let out an amused laugh. “That has to be him. Poor boy, he looks so lost! And he's so young! I know _he_ said him to be young, but I didn't an actual expect a child!”

“Stay. Behind”, Owen repeated and took a step forward to meet the boy.

Starkiller's eyes suddenly located the middle aged Human man approaching him. He looked exactly like the locals he had seen so far, but he immediately knew this had to be his contact. The man had to be one of Lord Vader's most trusted men. He ought to have a believable disguise.

“Are you Starkiller?” the man asked, stopping right in front of him. But before the boy had time to reply, PROXY had stepped forward.

“Owen Lars?” the droid asked. “I will need to confirm your identity before I can let my master go with you. Please, have your companions step forward for identification.”

The apprentice listened as carefully as the man in front of them. None of this had been revealed to him either. But unlike him, apparently master had trusted the names of these people to PROXY rather than him.

“Go ahead”, the man said.

PROXY didn’t appear to do anything, but Starkiller knew he must have been comparing the man’s face and probably irises, too, to an image he had saved in his databanks.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, master Owen Lars. I still need to confirm the other two.”

Now Starkiller noticed them, too. A woman approached them with a young boy holding her hand. The boy had light coloured hair, very much like the sand all around them. Was this..? He reached out with the Force very carefully and felt...a shield. Some sort of shield was woven around him, preventing him to get a clear understanding of the boys Force signature. He would have never even suspected him a Force sensitive, had he not known to look for it. He could feel the touch of Vader on the odd veil that concealed the boy. But it was already cracking. And from those small cracks he could feel the strong Force presence leaking out. It had to be _him_.

PROXY immediately turned to the woman. She chose to ignore the droid. Instead she gave her attention to the apprentice, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Starkiller.”

Starkiller nodded a greeting.

“Mistress Beru Lars”, PROXY acknowledged, turning to the boy and lowering his lanky shape to the child’s level. The boy didn't seem intimidated in the slightest. His eyes were literally devouring the holodroid in front of him.

“Master Luke Skywalker. I am PROXY, at your service”, the holodroid introduced himself before standing up. Then, all the sudden all of PROXY’s lights shut off.

“Rewriting the primary programming.”

“Oh, um, I'm Starkiller. At your service”, the boy stumbled out the words and bowed deep. He'd known it..! As soon as they'd found master's son, PROXY's old programming was returning. 

“Not here”, the man called Owen Lars said quietly. “Come, we'll talk more later.”

Starkiller felt a small nudge on his sleeve. Master's son was looking straight at him.

“Is he yours?” the boy asked, nodding at PROXY.

“Yes. PROXY helps me with my training.”

“Training? Like school?” The boy didn't look too interested with anything doing with school, but before Starkiller had a chance to answer, he continued with a wide smile: “I'm Luke. I like droids. We've got some at home. I'll show you later.”

“Reprogramming completed.”

“Luke.”

The strict voice belonged to mister Lars. Luke pouted his lips at the look he was given, but fell silent. There was no more talk while they walked out of the spaceport. The woman called Beru took Master's son with her and Starkiller followed the couple with PROXY at his side. He tried to call for the Dark Side to reassure his nerves, but even the Force here seemed oddly dry like the air did. Not any weaker, just very, very different from what he had been used to. Like the smells, the Force also seemed different on different planets and places.

The torrid streets seemed like a maze to him, but they soon arrived to an old SoroSuub landspeeder. The man took the driver's seat and the woman, who probably was posing as the man's wife, sat to the passenger seat behind him. The boy, Luke, took the other seat in front of the woman. The speeder was meant for three persons only, but the small boy squeezed so close at the edge of the seat that there was plenty of room left for the apprentice. Very carefully, Starkiller sat next to him, PROXY following behind. The droid sunk on the floor next shopping bags and shut himself down. The man immediately took off.

No words were exchanged while they drove out of the city. Everywhere Starkiller looked, he saw similar looking houses, very few people and sand. PROXY had instantly gone to the energy saving mode and his Master's son kept looking at him curiously, but said nothing. The woman eyed him as well, but wasn’t as obvious about it as the boy was.

Starkiller himself didn't dare to look at anyone for a long time, nor to speak. There were fewer and fewer houses around them until suddenly they were out in the desert. On the right the rocky landscape continued to the horizon. On the left, there were rocky hills and mountains. The speeder sped up and soon started heading to the higher ground. The sand was absolutely everywhere, colouring the landscape in dull shades of light browns, greys and yellows. Even the people themselves here seemed oddly sand coloured. They were dressed I the same shades, covered from head to toe to protect their skin from the heat of two suns. Mr. Lars had long, worn out boots, brown loose trousers with a matching coloured long sleeved shirt he couldn't see very well from under the sand coloured poncho.

Ms Lars was dressed in light fabric long trousers with a log sleeved blue tunic, decorated with simple embroidery. Her shoes were plain sand coloured and low, giving an expression she was wearing them to look nice rather than to be practical, since they looked like they would easily get full of sand while walking. She wore her blonde her on a neat bun and had a white scarf she could pull over her head on her shoulders.

Really, Starkiller ought to compliment these people for the great disguise. Had he not known, he would have believed them to be locals without batting an eye. They didn't even seem to be bothered by the heat the same way he was. It was still extremely hot, but at least the air-conditioning inside the landspeeder made it more bearable.

He supposed it had been childish of him to assume the people taking care of Master's son would have been some rich, high-up military people or members of a local government. It had been stupid of him to assume he'd be meeting some sort of a prince. Quite on the contrary, the boy looked like a child of a poor family on an equally poor planet. He as well was dressed in the same shades of sand almost everybody on this forsaken planet did. Boots, loose trousers and a shirt a little too big for him. And he had to remember that it had been the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi who had taken the boy in the first place. He couldn't help, but to wonder what had happened. Had Kenobi kidnapped Vader's son? And somehow managed to convince him the child was dead?

“So”, the man finally said. “You're Vader's number one agent? Starkiller?”

“Yes, sir”, Starkiller managed to reply in his best army tone, despite feeling like choking at the man's words. His heart skipped a beat. Master had called _him_ a _number one_ agent? That was more of a praise he had _ever_ heard from his Master, even if coming from a third party.

“Well that won't do here. Our neighbours are called Starkillers. Don’t you have a real name?”

For a second he was confused, even little insulted by the implication that Starkiller wasn’t his real name, until he made the connection. This must have been the reason for the mysterious name his Master had provided him with. But it still didn't answer his question, whether it really was his name or just something his Master had decided.

“Yes, sir. It's Galen. Galen Marek.”

“Do you know why you're here?”

“Yes. Lord Vader sent me to see to his son. I– I assume he is...Lord Vader's son.”

“You can call him Luke”, the woman said. “You must be tired after the long journey. There are some fresh fruits in the bag next to your droid. Have some.”

“Thank you, Ms Lars”, Starkiller, no, Galen said with genuine gratefulness and reached for the bag. He hadn't eaten anything for hours, and the heat was killing him..!

The woman smiled. “You can call me aunt Beru, like Luke does. My husband's called Owen.”

Galen took a bite of the red fruit he'd never seen before. The peel was thick, but from the inside the fruit was squishy and sweet.

“Don't eat the seeds”, she advised, handing him a clean handkerchief to wipe the juice running down his hands. “Did Vader tell you what you're to do here?”

“Only that I'm supposed to help with hiding his son. My Master has left a shield around him, but it's already cracking.” Galen stole a glance at the boy next to him. “He has an extremely powerful Force presence.”

“Yes... Vader said that much. He told us you could help Luke hide it.”

“I will”, he promised with more confidence than he actually felt. The boy had such a huge Force aura, he could literally feel it trying to break free from the makeshift Dark Side barrier.

The woman smiled again. “We'll talk more once we get home. Eat some more fruits and try to relax. It’s not that long from Mos Eisley to Anchorhead and to our farm.”

The boy settled for eating another fruit. The rocks and sand swept by in an endless row. What would people even farm here? The Rodian had been right. It was a miserable place. Had Kenobi brought the boy here? Was Master intending his son to continue living here? He certainly hoped not. He hated the heat and the sand already.

“Can I have one, too?”

Galen flinched. Lord Vader's son was mere centimetres from him, looking at him with his sky coloured eyes.

“Yes”, he replied, somewhat shocked the boy even asked his opinion. Luke snatched the bag from him, mouthing a “thanks”. Starkiller ate none for the rest of the drive.

When the speeder finally stopped, it was sudden and abrupt. There had been absolutely nothing there, but suddenly they were parked in front of a small building, which to Starkiller seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Besides the building he could see many tall and thin chimney-like devices, scattered around the area. And sand, naturally. He was glad to see some distantly green bushes nearby. He hadn't seen many in real life. He distantly wondered, if this planet had trees at all.

Ms Lars got up first, Lord Vader's son right behind her. Starkiller was about to switch PROXY on, but Mr Lars waved his hand disapprovingly. “I'll have the droid recharged in the garage.”

The apprentice thanked him and got up quickly to help Ms Lars with her shopping bags.

“Oh, don't! I'll manage, you already have your own luggage”, the woman hurried to say. “The other stuff is Owen's, he'll take it to the garage.”

Starkiller stepped back from the speeder awkwardly, feeling like he was getting in the way no matter what he did. Master's son had already disappeared from sight, among with his bag of fruits. With no other options, he followed the woman indoors. To his surprise, there was a stairway leading down, ending to a circled yard many meters lower than the desert.

The woman led him to a kitchen, although Starkiller had never really seen a kitchen like this. The kitchen areas that had still been under construction on the Star Destroyer had been huge in order to feed the thousands of soldiers and personnel the gigantic spaceship needed. This kitchen seemed tiny and cramped, so he did not follow the woman further from the doorway.

“Hold on a second, I'll just put these down. Then I'll show you the 'fresher. I'll start preparing us a late lunch, so you can take a sonic and get changed while I'm onto it. Then we'll all talk.”

Beru Lars then ushered the apprentice to a cosy refresher. Again, unlike anything he’d ever seen. Starkiller was grateful to get off the clothes he'd been wearing for most of his journey. He washed fast and redressed, this time in much lighter way. He got out and headed to the kitchen's direction, where voices could be heard.

"–hand that to me", Ms. Lars was saying when Starkiller got to the doorway. Master's son was with her.

"Galen! You were quick. We aren't ready yet, we just got the food in the oven."

"I do not mean to bother you", the apprentice said with a bow. "Thank you, Ms Lars."

"Aunt Beru", she corrected. "You aren't bothering us. Actually, I think it would be a good moment to show you around. Right, Luke?"

The boy shrugged and the turned to look at the older boy. "Hi", he said and smiled a bit shyly at Starkiller. "I heard you know my father."

"Yes. Your father is my Master."

The boy brought his eyebrows together with a confused look. "Are you a slave?" he blurted out.

"Luke!" Ms Lars scolded. "What have I told you about asking people that? You cannot ask people if they’re slaves, it’s rude!"

"But he said my father's his master!" Luke defended himself. He frowned. "And he's bowing us all the time."

Starkiller cleared his throat. "I'm not a slave", he stated in bit of a shock. Form the little he knew, his Master was strictly against slavery despite it being accepted to certain extent within the Empire. "Lord Vader is my mentor in the Sith arts. That's why I call him a master."

"There you have it", Ms Lars said firmly.

"Still, that is a bit of a problem”, she continued with a thoughtful look. “Slavery is quite common here on Tatooine and you can't tell who's a slave by their race. You have to stop bowing to us, or people are going to think we've bought a slave."

"I'm sorry. It was not my intention to make you look bad", Starkiller apologised, trying not to bow while he did so. He felt clumsy, stupid and ashamed for possibly making these people look like slave owners. Master would not be pleased. No doubt these people would report all his doings to Lord Vader. This wasn't starting as well at all as he had hoped.

Beru laughed at him. It was a friendly sort of laughter and all the sudden her hand was on his head, stroking his short hair. He flinched back violently, not used to being touched. She pulled her hand back, but smiled and told him not to worry, despite the startled look in her eyes.

"Come on, I want to show you my space ship models!" Luke suddenly exclaimed.

Starkiller let the small boy pull him into a small, untidy room. Master would have never approved of it. Beru had followed them and was shaking her head, muttering about the mess.

"See? It's a T-16 Skyhopper", Luke said proudly, holding a model in front of the apprentice's face. "We've got a real one in the garage. I'll get to fly it when I'm older", the boy told him with a bright smile. “I'll show you some droids, too!”

First, though, Beru showed him around the house. They even had a spare room for him for the time he'd be staying. He left his small luggage next to his assigned bed. Later he saw PROXY plugged in the garage, while Beru told him that Owen had probably went to check for the nearby moisture harvesters and would be back for the dinner. Starkiller had no idea what she was talking about, but he murmured something incoherent politely. By the end of the tour he was downright confused. These people seemed to be taking their cover story extremely seriously.

As Beru had predicted, his “husband” arrived punctually for the dinner. Starkiller had just finished making the table with Luke, as per to Beru's request, when Owen walked in. Making the table was something the apprentice had never done, but he had tried his best to mimic what Luke had done to the other side of the table. The young boy had frowned at him and corrected the cutlery, telling he'd done it wrong. Owen barely looked at Starkiller and didn't say a word until they were all gathered around the table and had food on their plates.

"How much did Vader exactly tell you?" the man grunted, now finally looking straight at the apprentice. The man was not a Force sensitive and even with the little combat experience Starkiller had, he knew he'd win against this man easily. Yet, there was something respectable about him that told the apprentice this man was not to be taken lightly. He was a person used to taking care of business himself and he made no effort to hide the fact that Starkiller's presence seemed to bother him.

"Not much, sir. Only what I have already told you."

The man nodded in acceptance. "He's not much of a conversationalist and Luke's safety is our first priority."

"But we agreed we'd tell you everything you need to know once you'd get here", Beru cut in. "Since you're going to live with us, it'd be unfair to keep you out."

Starkiller felt a sudden cold lump in his stomach. "Live here..?" he choked.

Both of the adults turned to look at him. Surprise was written on Beru's face and her hand holding a glass was stopped in the mid-air. "He didn't tell you?"

Starkiller shook his head in shock. Stay here! What about his training? Was Lord Vader abandoning it? Was he not worth it? Despite the desert heat, he suddenly felt cold, numb and very, very homesick.

"Oh stars. He didn't tell you..." Beru was about to reach for the boy, but Owen shook his head. This boy was not used to being consoled. Such an act would only further confuse him. He had been taught to take orders.

"Vader sent you here, believing you could protect his son. Can you do that or not?" 

The simple question cleared Starkiller's head. He could not and _would not_ betray his Master. He'd show him and earn his training. "Yes! I can do it."

"Good. You'll start attending school in Anchorhead with Luke. You’re his brother, we are your uncle and aunt. The less you talk about your life before coming here, the better.”

"Dear, I think this would be better left for tomorrow. He's already overwhelmed", Beru sighed.

She then turned back to Starkiller. "Your droid should know of your cover story. We've already informed the school, but it's better you take your time before going there. It's Taungsday now and there's no school on Bendudays, so I was thinking you'd start on Primeday. Before that, we'll answer any questions you have and we’ll help you to get used to your new life."

The apprentice nodded in bewilderment and glanced at Master Vader's son. The boy was occupied with eating, but he could tell the boy was listening to their every word. He looked at the two adults and it was now suddenly clear to him that he'd been wrong. These people really were moisture farmers. Whatever that was.

“You are not Imperials”, he said, rather than asked.

“No, we’re not. Tatooine is far too remote to attract anyone but the Hutts’ interest.”

“But you do work for Lord Vader?”, the apprentice confirmed, bewildered. A sudden doubt crossed his mind. What if these people somehow were wrong persons..?

Beru exchanged a look with her husband. “Not exactly. It's a long and complicated story.”

Owen lowered his fork, chewed the piece of meat and swallowed. “I’m his brother.”

A deep silence fell over the table. Even Luke seemed to feel the sudden odd tension and forgot about his meal.

“What? It’s a simple story”, the farmer said, never letting the conversation bother his dining.

“Owen! You don’t know if he wants you to tell that!” Beru accused.

“We agreed to tell the boy everything”, Owen defended himself calmly, still not looking away from his meal.

“I think he mainly meant what happened with Obi-Wan”, his wife shushed.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi?” Starkiller exclaimed. Everything had happened so fast he had had no time to ask his master about it. “What happened with him and Lord Vader?”

“I really think we'd better leave that to a better time”, Beru started, glancing at Luke, but simultaneously, her husband said: “He traced and killed him somewhere in Jundland Wastes.”

The man received a shocked, sharp and annoyed look from his wife.

“There’s no point sugar coating it”, he shrugged.

His wife didn’t look convinced. “Fine, we'll tell him everything from the beginning as well as we know it. But you”, she said, pointing at Starkiller and his nearly untouched plate, “young man, will eat while we do that.” 

* * *

 

Later that night, after Starkiller had retired to the room appointed to him, the young Sith apprentice lay on the unfamiliar bed, reflecting everything he had heard during the oddest and the first family dinner he had ever had.

Lord Vader had been born on this planet. Into slavery. What an absurd thought it was, but apparently true nonetheless. Somebody called Gon or something had taken him away and apparently Obi-Wan Kenobi had been his Jedi Master. Lord Vader, a Jedi? Almost as absurd as Darth Vader being a slave! Darth Vader being anything else than Darth Vader in general was beyond his imagination.

Uncle Owen and aunt Beru didn't know much of Vader's life during his Jedi years, just that he'd been fighting in the Clone Wars eventually. The war had never really concerned Tatooine. They knew more about Lord Vader's mother. Why, aunt Beru had even shown him a holo of this Shmi Skywalker! Starkiller felt embarrassed to hear these things, although secretly he was dying to know more. There was so little he actually knew of his Master!

Ms Skywalker had also been a slave until uncle Owen's father had bought her and then married her, so he wasn't really related by blood to Lord Vader, but he considered Master's mother his own mother, too. Apparently, Master Vader had been to this place only once at that time, and it had been because his mother had been kidnapped by something called Tusken Raiders. She had died and Vader had never been back before now. There had also been another woman involved, but nor Beru or Owen had told him who she had been. They hadn't ever met her again, anyway.

What most triggered Starkiller's interests was the name Skywalker. It had been the name of Vader's mother and at one point of their conversation, Luke had said his name was Luke Skywalker. Uncle Owen had said it wasn't anymore and that he would need to get used to the name Lars from now on. The same applied to Starkiller. Instead of Galen Marek, he was to become Galen Lars, a big brother to Luke. Story went he’d lived on Coruscant until his remaining family here on Tatooine had been located.

But that wasn't important now. The name Skywalker was. He knew he probably should not stick his nose into his Master's past, but it was hard to ignore the curiosity. Had Darth Vader once been a Skywalker, too? He had to have been. And he had been a Jedi, but they had never said if his name had once been something else. Could he have been the famous _Anakin_ Skywalker? The shining white knight of the Clone Wars, the _Hero with No Fear_?

It was hard to understand, how these two could be the same person. For his studies, Master Vader had provided him with access to numerous holoarchives. He'd been free to choose himself what to read. The Jedi and the Clone Wars had always interested him, and he had seen the name “Anakin Skywalker” countless of times. He had always thought it was a shame somebody as gifted as Skywalker had been a Jedi. His talents were wasted on them and his status of the Chosen One had not helped the Jedi win. He had assumed Vader had killed him.

Other thing was the name Kenobi. His name and face had often appeared next to Skywalker's. Vader had let him understand Kenobi was an old acquaintance of his. But Kenobi had been Skywalker's Master. Now Owen and Beru said Obi-Wan Kenobi had been Darth Vader's Master. It alone was more than enough to turn his world upside-down, not to mention he was supposed to start living here, posing as Lord Vader's son's brother! Technically he was posing as Lord Vader’s son. The idea made him giddy.

Apparently his new brother had not known that part of the plan, either. They hadn't talked much yet and Galen had been more than happy to retire early after aunt Beru had suggested it. Everyone else was still up, but he didn't feel like joining them in the living room. Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door.

“You still up, Galen?” he heard Luke's voice ask.

“Y–yes, come in”, he replied, stumbling up from the bed.

The door opened slightly, letting in a narrow line of light into the small room, where the only furniture were the bed and a desk. Luke stepped in, letting the door close behind him. In the faint light coming from the window, he could see the boy had changed into pyjamas. Galen swallowed nervously. “Can I help you?”

Luke wavered there a moment before suddenly sitting on the floor. “I thought we'd talk.”

“Alright...” he managed awkwardly and after a second of hesitation sat on the floor, too. He didn't feel very confident with himself. Sure he could assassinate a man, but to talk with a boy almost his age? He'd never done that. He'd never really talked with anyone apart from PROXY. And this wasn't just any boy close to his age.

“So...” the boy started, pulling the corners of his mouth up and extended his hand. “I guess I'm Luke Lars, then. Nice to meet you, big brother.”

Starkiller took the offered hand and shook it. “And I'm...Galen Lars?”

Luke let out a small giggle. “Yeah, Galen Lars. I know that's who you're going to be from now on, but what's your real name? Mine's Luke Skywalker.”

“I'm...not sure”, Galen said truthfully. “It might be Galen Marek. But I've always been called Starkiller.”

Luke looked curious. “Really? Windy's a Starkiller, too. He's my friend. You'll meet him and my other friends on Primeday at school.”

“What's it like?”

“What is? The school?”

Galen nodded. He'd never been to one. Of course he knew the general idea of what the word “school” represented, but he really had no idea how it would be in real life.

“Boring”, Luke huffed.

“No. I mean really. I don’t know what schools are like.”

The younger boy lifted an eyebrow. “Well, it's only a small school. We've only got two classes. Us younger kids and the older ones. It's in Anchorhead, we drove past it when we got here. All the kids from the area go to school there. Most are Human, but there's a Twi-lek girl on my class and couple of Rodians with the older kids. Almost half of the classes are in Huttese because so many here on Tatooine speak it. You speak it?”

“A little”, Galen replied. “I understand it better than speak.”

 “I'll help you with the Huttese classes then”, the boy promised. “Local biology, local history, P.E., arts and geography. Local means anything within Arkanis sector”, he went on.

“Maths, Basic, computer education, basic astronomy, galactic history and galactic biology are in Basic. And three times a month a woman from Mos Eisley comes to teach us Imperial history and Imperial laws. It's pretty boring, it's not like any of that really matters here.”

Galen tried to store all the information, but the last part really got his attention. He frowned. “Why'd you say that?”

Luke made a face. “Well, even though Tatooine is namely part of the Empire and there are Imps in Mos Eisley, Bestine and Mos Espa, it's not like they're the ones in charge. Tatooine's really under Hutt rule. A guy called Jabba. He's got palaces all over Tatooine.”

“A Hutt? Aren't they criminals?”

Luke shrugged. “I guess so. I don’t know. It doesn't really affect us in any way. The Hutts and locals hate the Empire.”

The apprentice decided to ignore the latter part. “You've always lived here?”

“Yeah. I was born somewhere else, but Ben brought me here when I was just a baby. ...I guess that means Obi-Wan the Jedi”, he added, falling silent and stern. “I always dreamed my dad wasn't dead, but this is so...weird. Scary, too. Uncle and aunt always said my dad was dead and never wanted to talk about it. I guess I know why, now...”

Starkiller didn't know what to say, but he suddenly felt angry for his new caretakers for lying to this boy. For keeping in secret what a great and powerful man his father was. For keeping him from his rightful father. Not that the apprentice really knew what it would be like to have a parent of any sort.

“What's he like? You've met him, haven't you?” Luke suddenly asked.

“Lord Vader? He's a great Master”, Starkiller answered without hesitation. “Wise and powerful. He let's me figure things on my own, but tells me which way to go if I get stuck. It's not like he needs to, but he still does it. I'm grateful to be his apprentice.”

“No, I meant what he's, like, _like_? You know?”

Starkiller didn't. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He had no idea what else to say to answer the question.

“Um... I guess... I guess he's a strict teacher. But that's not a bad thing!”

The young boy didn't look impressed. Awkward. “That's all?”

“Uh...” Starkiller tried to think. What else _did_ he really know of his Master? Strict teacher, yes, but not a patient one. But that would sound too much like criticising, wouldn't it? He wasn't the kind of a teacher to encourage or reward and he certainly wasn't talkative. Everything he knew of Lord Vader's opinions or his personal life he'd learnt from his silence rather than from his words. Master's curriculum was very clear: learn or die. Cruel maybe, but it worked for both of them.

“His um...way of teaching is very effective..?”

“So you haven't got a clue”, Luke huffed and folded his arms.

“I'm sorry. He's my Master, a teacher. I don't know that much.”

“I could tell you all kinds of stuff about _my_ teachers. Like Mr Jez who's teaching the younger kids. He's really from Christophsis, but he came to teach here five years ago on a charity program after he divorced. His children live there with their mother. He lives in Ancorhead alone. He likes Mid Rim comedies from before the Clone Wars and watches them in the cantina with his friends. And he doesn't want to talk about the battle of Christophsis because the neighbourhood he used to live in was obliterated by the Republic forces when they were fighting the Separatists and his parents didn't make it out in time. But I didn’t tell you this ‘cause I’m not supposed to know.”

“Well, he does work with the military”, Starkiller tried. “He has led many victorious battles and he hunts down the remaining Jedi. And he answers only to the Emperor.”

“Everybody knows that”, Luke muttered. He was lying a little, of course. He had no idea what a Jedi really was. He'd heard the word, but the spacers and farmers said it was all superstition and old wives' tales, and wouldn't tell him anything more. Didn't really help when uncle Owen had actually threatened to shoot a spacer Luke had been talking to, if he'd continue filling the boys head with such rubbish.

Being nearly the second to the Emperor was general knowledge even here on Tatooine and even Luke knew that much. Victorious battle leader? That much was easy to gather from the bits and pieces he'd heard the adults talk. Especially now that he'd made it his business to listen when the Empire was mentioned.

To his surprise, Galen smirked in the dark. “Well, this, I bet you didn't know. Your father plans to assassinate the Emperor.”

Unlike Starkiller had expected, Luke didn't look impressed. Quite the opposite, he looked rather horrified.

“Why would he do that?”

“The Emperor isn't fit to rule”, Galen spat. “The Empire deserves a better leader.”

“My father would _kill_ him? Take his place?”

“Of course.”

“It's all true then”, Luke muttered and rose abruptly. He felt sudden tears burning in his eyes. Stupid. So stupid to even hope the reality would have been different from the stories. His father was a killer. A murderer. Without saying a word he dashed out of the room, leaving a very confused Sith apprentice sit alone in the dark room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say a huge, huge thank you to everyone who's given a comment here or on FF.net. Those are the things that have kept me telling myself to write. I know how the story goes and how it will end, but the reviews have kept me writing, because you guys have made feel there are others out there who want to know how it goes and how it'll end. I'll try to be better. I know how frustrating it is, when a fic won't update.


	12. VIII

When Starkiller woke up, it was still dark. Sleep hadn't come easy with everything still spinning in his head, so he couldn't have slept more than couple of hours at best. His body felt stiff as he got up and walked to the window. The room was in second floor, but still underground. Peculiar that. There were no lights to chase away the darkness from the yard and the stars and the moons did very little.

He glanced at the bed, but didn't feel like sleeping anymore. It had been too long since he'd properly trained. Silent and quick he changed into his training gear, snatched his lightsabre and navigated the sleeping house to the yard. It had been cool inside compared to the boiling hot air from the earlier, but now the coldness outside surprised him. It was chilly. He could see his own breath hanging in the air.

Never mind. Assuming the familiar pose the young Sith apprentice closed his eyes and concentrated on the Force, called for the Dark Side to fill his every step, to move with his every muscle as he went through the coordinated choreographs one after another. The red hue of his 'sabre was the only light there was, but he didn't need lights. The desert night was mainly silent and he couldn't hear any noises through the comforting hum of his weapon. Although fully concentrated on his training, Starkiller still had half his attention for the surroundings like a proper Sith should have. There was life on this planet and it came out of hiding at night. There was a lizard creeping on the far wall and mynok like creatures flew over his head, lured to the red light. He only wished PROXY would have been there to spar with him.

Still, by the time the first of the suns started to stain the horizon, he almost failed to notice Beru enter the yard. So did Beru, until Galen –and his lightsaber, suddenly jumped right in front of her from behind the vaporator in the middle of the yard. She shrieked and he froze in the middle of an attack pose.

"M-mrs Lars!" Starkiller almost dropped the lightsaber, then quickly deactivated it. "Stars! I'm so, so, so sorry! Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes" she breathed. "Just a little startled. What are you doing up at this hour? With _that_ ", she accused angrily.

Starkiller clipped the weapon back to its rightful place on his belt. "I woke up and thought I could train. It's important I train daily", he said, feeling defensive at her tone.

"Alright, I didn't mean to disturb you", she conciliated. "But be careful, please."

"I will. I'm very sorry, Mrs Lars", he apologised and remembered not to bow just in time.

"Aunt Beru", she corrected with a smile. "I'm usually the first one up, so I switch the generator back on. Would you like to come with me, Galen? It's in the garage, your droid is still there. We could get him, too."

"Alright. Aunt Beru."

"By the way, your clothes are alright at night, but you're going to get too hot with them during the day", she instructed. As an afterthought, she added: "I think we should buy you some clothing. Something more Tatooine. And everything else you might need to start feel at home."

She smiled. "We could go to Bestine tomorrow. I think Luke would like that, too."

"I don't have very much money, aunt Beru. I'm sure I can make it with the clothing that has been provided for me."

"No you won't. Trust me, I've lived on this planet all my life. And don't worry about the money. My account just received the largest sum of credits I have ever owned in my life from an anonymous source. I think we both can guess who that is", she told with a teasing smile.

"My Master sent credits for _my_ living expenses?" Starkiller asked in awe.

"Luke's, too. He threatened Owen with financial support several times", she chuckled and missed the sheepish disappointment on the boys face while keying the door open. "Owen wouldn't have any of it, so I think Vader figured he'd send it to me instead. I'll show you the generator before we'll take your droid. If you continue being the first one up, you might as well turn it on. Remind me to teach you all the door codes, too."

The young Sith followed his new aunt inside. The generator was easy enough to switch on and off. He was more eager to get PROXY back on. He was still folded in next to a wall with two other small droids. He had never seen models like that, but they looked old.

"Do you think your droid could communicate with our vaporators? It would help Owen a great deal."

"PROXY is a combat capable holodroid", he replied as he reached for the switch at the back of PROXY's neck. "I don't even know what a vaporator is."

PROXY's eyes lit up and he heard at small hum that silenced down immediately, as his core started working. "Good to see you again, master", the droid greeted.

"Hi, PROXY", Starkiller smiled. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, it is good to be fully charged again", the droid replied as he got up. "Greetings, mistress Lars."

"Hello", Beru nodded. "I don't think there's much need for a combat droid here on Tatooine unless we're attacked by the Sandpeople, but I could think many uses for him in the kitchen."

"Kitchen?" PROXY sounded as insulted as a droid could. "Mistress Lars, among many other functions, I have the information of over one hundred Jedi Knights' personal fighting styles and capabilities stored and analysed, allowing me to project them and fully simulate them. I am _not_ a household droid."

"I'm sorry, aunt Beru, but PROXY is right." Galen couldn't help, but to feel a little protective over his friend. "He's my training partner, I don't think he would be much help."

"Oh, he has plenty of time to learn", she laughed, but didn't sound like she was entirely serious. "Don't worry. I won't take him away from you. But I could use a hand with housework every now and then. I would be very grateful if he would help us while you boys are at school."

"Yes, of course..." Starkiller felt a little silly. Of course he wouldn't be spending all his days training like he used to. He wasn't Starkiller anymore. He was Galen Lars. He was supposed to become a brother to Luke Lars.

The young Sith apprentice hurriedly went through the rest of his morning exercises with PROXY, while Beru went back inside to prepare breakfast. He'd asked her is she needed any help, just to be polite, but she had equally politely refused. She had been right about his clothes though. The suns still weren't both over the horizon, but it was already getting warmer. Galen was soon covered in sweat.

"PROXY, let's take a break", he panted. "At this rate, I'm going to pass out from the heat."

PROXY lowered his lightsaber, but did not inactivate it. "But I was going easy on you, master."

Galen laughed and clipped the hilt on his belt. "Yeah, right. Of course you were."

"I was", the droid repeated, confused by his sarcasm.

"PROXY, you _never_ go easy on me. It goes against your programming. Come on, you'll get another chance to kill me."

"Kill you, master?"

Starkiller froze. Something off with the droids tone, and to question killing him was so out of character from PROXY it gave him the creeps. Of course, master Vader had overwritten the programming, but hadn't it been since been returned already?

"What do you mean, PROXY? I thought Master's overwriting was erased when we got here."

"No, master. I was completely reprogrammed by him. I am sad to inform you, but killing you is now against my programming as long as we are on Tatooine", the droid explained, sounding very mournful. "I'm sorry I have betrayed you, master, by not fulfilling my promise to kill you."

Galen just stared. _Unbelievable._

"You're kidding me."

"Master, I am not programmed to kid."

"Why would Master Vader do that? Hasn't that been one of my main motivators since the day one?"

"I do not know, master. I will still serve as your training partner."

"But it's not the same..." Oddly enough Starkiller actually felt a little betrayed. Betrayed and disappointed. Didn't Master have trust in his abilities? Did he think PROXY would manage to kill him because he wasn't good enough? And if he did, why not let the droid do just that? He wasn't worth much if he couldn't live up to expectations.

"Galen."

It took a few seconds to realise the name meant him. Uncle Owen had appeared to the yard.

"Breakfast", the man said. "Go make sure Luke's up."

"Yes, si- uncle Owen."

If his new uncle had heard the conversation, he made no show of it and headed for the dining area inside the wall. Galen motioned PROXY to follow. Luke's room, which he found empty, was on the first floor. He had not switched on lights, so the lightning was dim as the corridors had no windows and the rooms were all facing the courtyard.

The 'fresher door opened and lights were switched on. Luke, fully dressed in similar clothes as the day before emerged into the corridor, his expression still somewhat sleepy.

Starkiller cleared his throat and the boy turned to face him. "Morning. Uncle Owen sent me to get you for the breakfast."

"I was on my way", the boy muttered, walking past him without sparing a glance for him. Luke's eyes fell on PROXY and stayed there like glued.

"You got your droid back!"

"Yeah, PROXY's fully operational again", the apprentice said proudly, but it stung to think his Master had modified the droid in such way, even if it wasn't fully rational to think so. Shouldn't he be pleased he could be friends with PROXY without needing to constantly be on his toes, awaiting for the droid to attack him? It cheered him up a little to see how interested Luke was in his mechanical companion.

"Good morning, master Luke", PROXY greeted. "I can hardly wait to get to train you."

"Train me..?" Luke asked puzzled, whereas at the same time Starkiller exclaimed, "Train him?!"

"Yes. Lord Vader has ordered me to start training you as soon as possible", the tall droid explained enthusiastically.

"He didn't mention that to me", Starkiller muttered, but Luke didn't notice his bang of jealousy as right then aunt Beru's voice called both of the boys. Luke was already halfway when the apprentice silently followed him.

"Should I come as well?" PROXY asked, walking alongside him.

"I don't know", he said quietly. _I don't think I know anything anymore…_ "Maybe you should wait somewhere nearby."

PROXY agreed. The apprentice followed Luke to the same almost outdoor table he had had his family dinner the previous night. Uncle Owen and Luke had already sat down when he arrived at the scene. Aunt Beru laid down a plate of some sort of bread and took a seat next to her husband. She poured herself a drink while Galen awkwardly sat next to Luke.

Uncle Owen looked like he was already finishing his meal. Luke had a glass of something blue, fruits cut in neat pieces and he reached out for the bread basket. Galen's plate had also been filled with odd fruits and then Beru poured him a glass of the same blue drink Luke had.

"Bantha milk", she explained.

Galen nodded. He had seen a bantha once and he had read that they were rather common animals across the galaxy. "Thank you."

Luke was quiet about what PROXY had said throughout the breakfast, unlike the apprentice had expected. Owen was quiet, but it seemed to be his nature. Beru occasionally tried to awake conversation, but Luke apparently wasn't on the mood and Galen was still too confused by everything. He politely answered her questions,

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Do you like the fruits?"

"Yes, they are delicious."

but that was it. He didn't really even know how to have a conversation. Eventually Beru let him be.

Uncle Owen and Luke left after they had both finished. Luke mentioned getting Biggs. Starkiller assumed "Biggs" was a friend of his. While he helped aunt Beru filling the dishwasher, she told him uncle Owen would take the boys, Luke and his friend, to school and then head to work with the vaporators. He finally got an explanation of what a vaporator exactly was, too. He helped his new aunt around the house with PROXY, and she showed him around again in more detail. Everything seemed so small and cramped compared to his home.

 _Former home_ , he had to remind himself. _This is your home now._

He tried to help Beru with lunch when the day's hottest hours approached, but he probably ended up receiving more help than giving it. It was fun, though. Beru was a sweet woman and seemed extremely pleased for the company, although he spoke very little. She, on the other hand, chattered almost discontinuously. He wasn't used to it at all. Aunt Beru talked about her daily life effortlessly, but it was something he didn't know how to do and it made him uneasy. Eventually came the questions. It happened after lunch when Owen had already been long gone and Galen tried to help her with laundry. He'd never even realised laundry could be done this manually. To him "doing laundry" meant taking the clothes to the mindless washing machine droids and then taking the folded clothes back. Apparently people didn't have them here.

"So... You are Vader's apprentice?" she inquired good-naturedly, as if she had asked what his favourite food was, instead of trying to figure out his life. And she had, actually, but she didn't know if Imperial TIE-fighter's standard ration bars would be available for civilians. Most likely not, and definitely not on Tatooine.

"Yes."

"Have you been with him for long?" she asked, folding shirts into neat piles. She tried not to intimidate him by seeming too pushy, so she wasn't directly looking at him.

"All my life" came the short answer.

"What about your parents? Where are they?"

Galen hesitated a moment. "I don't have any. I've always been with Master Vader."

"I see..." she said quietly. "Has he treated you well?"

"Of course he has. He's a great Master. I'm grateful for all he's done for me."

Beru only nodded.

"And where exactly have you lived so far?" she asked. He tried to hide it, but the young boy seemed so amazed by everything around him and so lost that she had to wonder in what kind of environment Vader had made the boy be brought up. He was so young, too. She hadn't yet asked his actual age, but he couldn't have been even thirteen. Only couple of years older than Luke, yet they were so different. Luke was still a child, very naïve and innocent in many respects, whereas Galen attempted to act like an adult and didn't even seem to know how to be a child.

"I'm not sure if I should tell", Galen said uneasily.

"I'm not asking you to name any systems", she reassured. "I merely wanted to know what kind of a planet it was. Apparently nothing like Tatooine."

Starkiller pondered the question for a while. Master had said he should treat these people with the same respect he'd treat him. He also knew all information concerning his own existence were top secret. Had Master asked him a question, he would have replied truthfully. But Master already knew all there was to know of him. Should these people, his new "family", know as well?

"Actually, it's not a planet at all", he told eventually. "It's a ship of the Imperial Navy that's still under construction."

"A spaceship?" Beru's tone was disbelieving. A spaceship that wasn't even ready yet? It didn't sound like a place for a child. Quite the opposite. It sounded like an extremely dangerous place to leave a child.

Starkiller could hear the dismay in the woman's voice, so he hurried to explain: "It was the only place he could hide me without making it look suspicious to visit later. I had everything I needed."

Beru thought of his answer for a while. He looked healthy and was not mistreated apart from the small scars all over his hands and some on his face. Maybe she would ask of those later.

"It sounds very lonely" she finally said over her shoulder, still trying to look like she was giving most of her attention to the laundry. He, of course, knew better.

The apprentice felt slightly insulted. He knew aunt Beru attempted to be nice, but what she failed to understand was that he was _a Sith apprentice_. He didn't need for her to be nice. He wasn't lonely, the Sith didn't need company. Only the Dark Side.

"I don't mind being alone. I can manage nearly a week in isolation with my limbs tied up, already", he said proudly.

" _Isolation?!_ " Now she finally turned to fully face him. "Is he mad?!"

"W-what?"

"Please don't tell me you mean what I think you mean..."

"It's part of my training", Starkiller insisted. "I'm _a Sith_ apprentice."

Beru only sighed deeply. "Not here, you're not. You're Luke's brother. I suppose I can't interfere with your training as much as I'd like to, but I'm not going to allow anything like _isolation_."

"That is for my Master to decide", he said firmly. With that the conversation was over. Later in evening, after training, family dinner and more training Starkiller looked back to his reaction with Beru. It wasn't that he _liked_ staying in isolation. It wasn't particularly nice to sit chained in a dark room for days without food and drink or any kind of contact with anyone, including PROXY, but becoming a Sith wasn't nice. Isolation was all about meditating and trance, facing all your secret fears and crushing them with the Dark Side. Becoming the Dark Side.

He felt irritated. Not even nearly four hours of combat training with PROXY had made the feeling go away. But at least he'd given PROXY a good beating. He would have gone longer if it hadn't been for uncle Owen yelling it was time for bed. And he couldn't believe he had been told to go to bed! He had of course had his schedule aboard the Star Destroyer, but it had always been PROXY or Master Vader to tell him the training was over. And neither of them certainly had ever told him it was his _bedtime_.

But, obediently he had complied. More obediently than Luke, who had insisted on watching a holodrama. Neither uncle Owen or aunt Beru had let him.

Starkiller's thoughts lingered on Luke.

Master Vader's son had not really talked to him ever since their previous night's conversation. It bothered him, and being bother by it bothered him even more. Had he said something wrong? He had been so careful not to say anything the boy might think as negative opinion of his father. Or maybe Luke didn't think him worthy of his time. He was just an apprentice of his father's. Was that it?

But Luke hadn't talked of Vader, either. At least not when he was nearby. Now that he seemed to have ruined his relationship with aunt Beru as well, he dreaded tomorrow.

* * *

 "Prime!" Luke gaped in awe as he jumped of the Lars family's SoroSuub to the parking lot right by one of the busy streets of Bestine.

"Prime..?"

"He means great", aunt Beru interpreted for Galen. "Make sure he doesn't wander anywhere while I'll take care of the parking ticket."

"Yes, aunt Beru. Luke, come back!" he immediately had to say.

"Don't touch me", Luke hissed back, quiet enough for his aunt not to hear him.

Beru rolled her eyes when Galen had to grab Luke's arm to prevent him from stepping among the crowds. She patted reluctant Luke on his blond mess of hair and left the boys wait by the speeder. They had left early, so it wasn't even noon yet, but the Benduday sky was clear, both of the suns high up, heating the dusty air from cool to sizzling in mere few hours. Galen as well gaped at the scenery, though not as obviously as the wide-eyed Luke did.

The journey to Bestine had been silent and tedious. Luke had dozed off more than half of the drive, so Galen had attempted meditating. He had left PROXY with uncle Owen, who would show the droid the vaporators, hoping to make the fine combat droid into a maintenance droid. Beru had argued PROXY would be put to better use inside the house due to his humanoid shape. Starkiller didn't know which was worse.

Bestine was packed with people, even here at the outskirts of the city. He could count at least sixteen different intelligent species with one glance. A large majority were Humans, but he saw lot of Rodians and Twi'leks as well, along with a Mon Calamari, Togruta, Ithorians, Tydorians (he only knew this species because he had made it his business to know which species were immune to mind-tricks) and some he didn't even know by name.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at a massive green skinned reptilian animal, with large baskets on both of it's sides and a Human man mounting it.

Luke turned from the neighbour landspeeder. "A dewback."

"It's huge."

"Wait till you see a ronto," he said dispassionately.

"Ronto?" Galen echoed.

"I'll point it to you when I see one."

Beru returned, assembling white veil over her head. She had dressed similarly as she had two days earlier when picking up Starkiller. He himself had originally chosen the lightest of his clothes, but she had disapproved bare arms and shoulders. Apparently bare shoulders were disrespectful. The more practical reason was that the double sunshine would burn his pale arms very quickly. So here he was, under the twin suns, in black from head to toe. Not that the colour of the clothing seemed to matter in this kind of heat. The heat radiating from the sand was worse than the suns, making the colour irrelevant as Beru explained, so there were plenty of people wearing dark clothing. Nevertheless, his training gear was ideal for the dry, clean and cool air inside a spaceship, not desert conditions. His hands itched to lower the hood of his cloak or remove it completely, but aunt Beru was careful not to let him do that.

"You're not used to the suns. You have to stay covered, especially during the hottest hours."

She led them through the crowds, often taking Luke by hand to prevent the boy from wandering off. Galen tried to do his fair share of keeping an eye on him, but it was hard for him as well to not get lost when everything around him was so unlike anything he had ever seen. Like Mos Eisley, most of the buildings weren't tall and were made of brown clay, with window and door frames painted white. But Bestine was bigger than Mos Eisley, so there were more people, though less of them were non-Human.

All the sudden the streets were roofed with animal skins and textile, but the shadow offered little cooling. The houses' walls stopped and were replaced by stalls, varying in size. He saw Huttese script everywhere next to the Basic aurebesh and heard both languages spoken all around him. Every single stall was filled with droids of all kind. Maintenance, cleaning, servant droids... Hoovering, walking, flying, crawling, wheeling. He was sure one could even buy an assassin droid if one knew where to ask. They'd arrived to a bazaar.

"We need to walk through this area to get to the textile bazaar", Beru explained him over the noise and ushered resisting Luke to walk forward. "He loves droids and starships, but don't all the little boys do? We'll have plenty of time to come and see them later."

The sellable articles soon changed into spaceship parts, then into home electronics. There Galen could smell food and spices, but they never passed any. They must have been close, but in other direction. The textiles came next.

"Alright, boys", Beru beamed. There was a distinctive gleam in her eyes that oddly enough reminded Starkiller of hunter ready for the hunt. But the boy had never had a mother, nor any other female in his life. He had no idea of what was about to come.

"Let's do some shopping!"

* * *

 Owen didn't mind the heat. He had lived here his entire life and had no plans for leaving. The life on the desert was hard, but wasn't it everywhere? He had inherited the moisture farm from his father over ten years ago when he and Beru were already married. Cliegg had been heartbroken when Shmi died. Her death had cast a long shadow over their minds and it had shadowed even their wedding day. In a way it had been a relief when Cliegg had died. Burying him next to the woman he had loved had brought a closure that finally allowed him and Beru to truly live together and enjoy their life.

The ongoing war in the galaxy never affected them. Not until they were contacted by Kenobi.

He had been sad to hear of the death of his stepbrother. He would have wanted to have known him better. Mother had talked so much about him that he had always felt like he really had a Jedi brother. He and Beru had gladly accepted the honour of raising Anakin's son. Until they learnt the truth.

He remembered the loud fights he and Beru had had over the matter. They were both angry at Obi-Wan for lying. Beru had wanted to contact Vader despite being so scared she was in tears and couldn't sleep at night. Obi-Wan had explained the situation with the Emperor to turn Beru's head and finally offered to take Luke, to raise and train him somewhere far away from them. Neither of them had agreed. Owen had chased ex-Jedi out with a rifle and yelled at him to stay away from his home and lands.

Luke had still been so young he wouldn't remember any of this.

"Master Lars, this container isn't full."

Owen turned to the droid Vader's boy had brought with him. "So?"

"Shall I leave it?"

"No, every container is changed daily."

He had taken it with him to show it how the vaporators worked and to make it help him. Despite being relatively tall and thin for a droid, it had superior balance and strength compared to a Human. He had hoped that with its help, he could get the job done faster, but clearly the droid had not been designed Tatooine in mind. Its joints were already suffering from the sand, but at least PROXY wasn't complaining like the protocol droid mother used to have. If he'd have to clean the droid each day, it probably wasn't worth it to take it out at all, even if the work got done faster. Maybe Beru was right, and it'd be better off inside the house.

"This container also appears to have some sand in it", PROXY observed. "Is it supposed to?"

"What? Show it."

PROXY stepped quickly aside as Owen moved to examine the container and the machine.

"Kriff. The filter's broken."

He sighed irritably, but started to remove it before making sure PROXY was watching closely. It was beyond repair, so he'd have to replace it. Unfortunately he didn't have any spare filters with him, which meant he'd have to come back later to. Water was the most valuable thing on Tatooine, no matter who you were. Without it, one couldn't survive a day on this planet. And even one broken filter meant financial loses to him.

"Hand over the screwdriver, PROXY."

Owen extended his hand behind his back, fully expecting PROXY to do so, but nothing happened. "PROXY."

He felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. Behind him, he heard a familiar hissing sound. He turned and came face to mask with Darth Vader.


	13. IX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hover over the Huttese words for translation.

Never in his life had Galen had so many clothes that had just been purchased for him. Even with the knowledge that this probably wasn't much clothes for most middle class people, he felt like nobility. Luke had got his fair share as well.

They had moved from the textile bazaar to the leather bazaar right next to it to find waist coats, belts, shoes, boots, gloves... Anything that could be made of leather. The smell of it was overwhelming. Galen and Luke had spent the past half an hour trying on boots. He'd already settled for simple, dark brown ones, but Luke was still in indecision. Starkiller was suspecting the boy didn't even want new boots. He had moved aside from the stall to be out of the way and entertained himself by watching the people passing by.

A Zabrak woman balancing two toddlers on her arms, with a third child by her, was waiting presumably for her husband, a Zabrak man comparing holsters for his blasters. An old Twi'lek beggar passed him by slower than the general endless flow of people.

"Watch where you're going!" the Zabrak woman suddenly exclaimed. "Koochoo."

"Kark off, pateesa", a young Human male that had bumped into her hissed and was on his way before the woman could say more. She grit her teeth, but with the children on her lap she apparently decided to leave it.

Galen's eyes followed the man. He was just passing by aunt Beru, when he felt a little tingle in the Force. He narrowed his eyes when he realised what the man was doing and his hand automatically reached for his belt where the lightsabre usually would have hung. Today, it didn't. He had left it behind because Beru had thought it was unnecessary, not to mention an easily recognisable weapon. He had reluctantly agreed.

He moved quickly, but then the man looked over his shoulder and seeing the look on his face sprinted towards the textile bazaar. Starkiller's instincts took over. He sprung after the man, dodging people with more grace than his opponent, who did the mistake of turning to watch his pursuer. The chase was over immediately. The Sith apprentice kicked the legs from under him and rammed the man onto the dusty pathway. The man kicked and tried to claw the boy's face to get free, but Starkiller gripped his shoulders to bang his head on the ground.

"Get him off me!"

"Give it back!" Starkiller sneered at the man, his voice thick with authoritative dark side of the Force.

"I'll give it back..." the man mumbled, but apparently not quite sure of what 'it' was. He blinked several times before waking from the trance and started struggling again. "Help! Help! This kid's mad!"

"Give it or I will kill you", he hissed in a low voice so only the man could hear him.

"What's happening here?"

Strong hands tore Starkiller away from the man. He flung away from the hold, ready to strike, but paused immediately when he realised he was staring straight into the barrel of an E-11 blaster rifle held in the hands of an Imperial stormtrooper. A sandtrooper, to be more accurate. Another trooper held the struggling man with both hands.

"Hagwa doopee! What is happening?" the trooper pointing with the gun repeated.

"That man is a thief!"

"Mursto! Liar!"

"He stole from my aunt!"

"Gaggalak mursto!"

"Quiet, both of you", the first trooper ordered. The second one shoved the man against a stall and drew his weapon as well. The stall keeper immediately duck out of the way.

"If the boy lies, you have nothing to be afraid of. Just behave and let us inspect you. If you've committed no crime, you're free to leave."

"Echuta! D'emperiolo kung", the man spat the sandtroopers.

"Say that again and I'll just shoot you right here" the second troopers said, waving his blaster at the man to emphasise his threat. "And speak Basic or don't speak at all."

"Calm down", the first trooper said. "No one's shooting anyone. Take off the jacket and empty your pockets", he ordered the pickpocket.

"No sudden moves and keep your hands where we can see them", he instructed, and when the man didn't immediately comply, snapped a bit harsher: " _Ateema._ "

The man glared at them, but complied.

"Galen! Galen, what is this all about?!"

Beru came running, dragging Luke and all their shopping bags with her. A small crowd had formed around them despite of the stormtroopers. The leader of the two turned to see her while the other one kept his eyes on the thief and Galen.

"Ma'am, please, stay calm. Do you know this boy?" the first trooper asked as Galen watched the man empty his pockets on the ground.

"Yes, he's my– well, I'm his aunt."

The trooper nodded. "Your nephew claims this man stole something from you. Any of those things yours?"

"What..?" She looked completely bewildered. And angry at Galen. "Galen, what are you– No, wait. That's _my_ pouch! My money, cards and ID, everything's there!"

"Alright." The trooper nodded. "Boy. Take your aunt's pouch and come here."

Galen knelt down to pick the pouch up, just to realise he actually had no idea which one of the five belonged to Beru. He glimpsed at her and Luke.

"Blue", the boy mouthed.

Galen snatched the blue pouch and handed it to the trooper. "Here."

The trooper inspected its contents for a while and took out the ID card. "Beru Lars?"

"Yes?"

"Your nephew's free to go once we've questioned him a little. Good job kid", the trooper said, nodding at the boy. "Just remember that next time you may not be so lucky. He could have had a weapon. Leave the heroics to the professionals."

Starkiller felt it hard to control his temper and simply say: "Yes, sir..."

Then he had to describe everything he had seen earlier and what he had done before he was free to go. The small crowd around them murmured, shook their heads and watched his every move. He heard several people congratulating him, whereas some seemed to disapprove aunt Beru's abilities for taking care of children.

"We'll be in touch, Ms Lars", the trooper finally said, handing over Beru's belongings. "Alright, Bruune, cuff the man and let's get going."

Beru and the boys watched the pickpocket been taken away. She gave a long sigh as soon as the white armours had disappeared.

"Galen, I appreciate what you did. Thank you. But", she started firmly, "you can't dash off like that. And definitely not after potentially dangerous people."

"I'm sorry, aunt Beru", Starkiller apologised, swallowing his pride. "But I was in no danger. I could have killed him before he could have even touched me."

Aunt Beru narrowed her eyes. "I don't want to hear talk like that. You are still a child. And you are supposed to be an example to Luke."

She was definitely angry despite he'd just saved her property. "I apologise", he said, keeping his back straight instead of a bow.

Beru simply shook her head and sighed. "It's okay. Just...don't run off like that again. Let's go."

"I think it was pretty cool", Luke whispered before following his aunt. Starkiller followed in silence, wondering if anything on this planet was actually cool.

* * *

Tatoo I was already nearing the horizon when Beru parked the speeder in the garage. The open air speeder Owen used was already there. Hopefully he'd started with the dinner preparations like she'd asked him to. She was exhausted and Galen's reckless behaviour bothered her. She was of course grateful that the boy had got her pouch back, because otherwise she would've never seen it again. But she didn't like the carefree way he talked of killing someone. Even if it probably was true that Galen could kill a man. Probably had killed.

She shuddered at thought. She didn't want Luke to become like that, but what choice did she have?

She was silent as the boys helped her to get all the shopping bags down. Most of them belonged to Galen, since he had needed a whole wardrobe, but she'd bought plenty of new clothes for Luke as well to ensure he wouldn't get jealous. She had also ended up buying Luke a new spaceship model and offered to buy Galen one as well, but Vader's ward had politely refused, saying he didn't need toys.

The drama with the thief hadn't been the only one. Galen had nearly fainted from dehydration towards the end of day for forgetting to drink, so before driving back they had spent an hour at an air-conditioned café drinking expensive, iced juices.

"Owen, we're back", she called from the doorway. Luke dashed from behind her, proudly carrying his new model.

"Uncle Owen! Look what aunt Beru bought me! Isn't it great?" he grinned and held the item out to him.

"Very nice", Owen said, but eyed Beru disapprovingly. PROXY appeared behind him, offering to help Galen with his bags.

"Hey, kid."

Galen turned around at Owen's voice. "Me..?"

"Yes, you. You got a message. Vader's arranging someone to drop off some stuff for you."

Starkiller's eyes widened. Master Vader had contacted him and he hadn't been there! "I'm sorry I–"

"I told him where you were and he approved. That's all. Dinner's ready in twenty minutes", Owen told, looking at both of the boys. "Dismissed."

Luke disappeared immediately to watch one of his beloved holodramas. The apprentice had no interest in them, so he followed PROXY to his room and started to unpack his new clothes.

"PROXY, what did he say? Can you play the message again?"

"I'm afraid I can't, master. I cannot record any communications from him. I know just as much as you do."

"Oh yeah..." he muttered. He'd forgotten. This was quite possibly the first time he had ever missed a call. "What's with your joints?"

"Sand", PROXY replied sullenly. "I was hoping you could clean them, master."

"Right now? I thought we'd spar after dinner."

"I'm not much of a sparring partner with stiff joints, master."

"I guess you're right", the boy sighed. He'd have to ask aunt Beru for something to work with. He had never had to clean PROXY so thoroughly he'd now have to. And they'd only been three days on this planet! Life had suddenly become so much more complicated. And with his first day of school ever tomorrow, it was bound to get worse.

* * *

One of the most guarded secrets in Lord Darth Vader's life was what was underneath the menacing black armour and his gruesome mask. And Darth Vader very much wanted to keep it that way. His ruthless, fearsome reputation would suffer greatly if anyone were to see the humiliating process he had to go through each time he bathed or had his prosthetics maintained.

He hung from the ceiling, helpless, while droids removed each limb, cleaned them and checked everything was working as it should. Other droid appeared to peel of the dead skin and wash him. The only thing making it worse would have been to have someone watching, for this was when Darth Vader was at his most vulnerable and today was no exception. Unfortunately, the Emperor knew that as well.

"I hear you handled the blockade well", Sidious mused, pacing slowly around the room, as if he'd find all the different medical equipments terrifically interesting. With the dark side at his command, the Emperor did not seem to care of the pressurised air. "Did you leave anyone alive for interrogation?"

"We captured three of the terrorist leaders", Vader replied, his hoarse, weak voice sounding unfamiliar to his own ears. "I suspect they may have connections to the terrorist group operating on the Bothan Run."

"They are of no importance" the old Sith dismissed. "I want you to interrogate the crew of a ship the local air control captured yesterday. Smugglers", he said as if the word itself had an unappealing taste, "but they had lightsabres. I want to know where they obtained them."

"As you wish, my Master", Vader replied as he was expected to. Sidious wanted him to handle the questioning, so the smugglers would understand the exact severity of the situation they'd got themselves into. They might know nothing, but it would still send a clear message to anyone harbouring any ideas of protecting the remaining Jedi. His thoughts shifted dangerously close to Tatooine.

The Emperor turned around to look at him with his piercing yellow eyes. "You're still mulling over Kenobi", he sneered.

The droid washing him moved away, making room for the droids that would reattach his prosthetics. Vader decided to risk it. "I merely wish I could have killed him differently."

His master simply scoffed. "Kenobi is trivial. You would do well to divert that frustration against the true enemies of the Empire."

"Yes, Master."

Vader braced himself, gritting his teeth together when the droids started re-attaching the mechanical limbs. The nerve system in each of them became operational simultaneously and he grimaced in sudden agony when the nerves shot a piercing pain impulse to his brain, before they adapted and the limbs started to feel more like a natural part of him. He was then lowered down and the droids started to assist him to get back in his life-support suit and armour.

At moments like this, it felt liberating when the mask was finally sealed over his face again.

* * *

Anchorhead was one of the oldest known settlements on Tatooine, grown around mining facilities many lifetimes ago. The miners had abandoned the town long time ago, and it had been abandoned and resettled many times through its history. Today, it was a small town. There were only a few shops and cantinas, and hardly any places for the local youth to gather. The school building was located in the very centre of the town, thus being one of the safest locations when it came to Tusken Raiders, who every now and then grew bold enough to bother the people living at the edges of the town.

Galen was far more worried and anxious about his first school day than he cared to admit. It was ridiculous. He had never been this nervous in his life, and he had once battled with a Jedi padawan and he hadn't been afraid. He'd been a rubbish padawan, but a padawan anyway, and that padawan had nearly killed him. He had faced the wrath of Darth Vader stoically, a feat not many in the galaxy could manage, yet school... The idea of school suddenly made his knees weak and his fingers futilely seek for the comforting and reassuring feel of a metal hilt that was nearly a physical part of him. But the lightsabre was not on his belt today either. Aunt Beru had not thought it an appropriate thing to take to a school.

The feeling only grew and gnawed inside him the closer to Anchorhead they came. Owen had taken it upon himself to take him and Luke today. He had said that once Galen knew the way, he might teach him to ride a swoop bike, so that he or Beru wouldn't need to take time each morning to take them. Luke was still too young and small to drive a swoop, but Owen said he felt he could trust the task to Galen. Although the man spoke little and seemed outright hostile at times, Galen liked him. The man seemed to understand him far better than aunt Beru did, and he could respect his way of life more than she perhaps ever could.

Uncle Owen left the boys near the front doors of the building as many other parents seemed to do. All the children in the area came to this little school. At least those did who's parents couldn't afford to send their offspring to a better school in Mos Eisley. Galen followed Luke uncertainly. Most children he saw were Human, but there were also two older Rodian boys and a Twi'lek girl parhaps a little younger than Luke. Most seemed to talk Basic to his relief, but he heard Huttese words thrown in the mix here and there.

"Luke! Chut chut! Is that him?"

"Chut chut?" Galen repeated as a black haired boy ran to them, followed by a herd of other children.

"It's like achuta", Luke muttered rolling his eyes at his ignorance of the local slang. To his friend he replied: "Yep. Aunt Beru wants me to babysit him."

"I don't need babysitting", Galen scoffed and stepped forward, scowling at the others.

"Do, too", Luke muttered. "Come on", he said to the others. "We don't have to care about him, he'll follow us if he wants to."

His friend was more eager to get to know the new kid than Luke would have wanted to. "I'm Biggs", he introduced himself. To Galen it was obvious Luke looked up to him and seemed jealous of the attention Galen got. The others proceeded to introduce themselves as well.

Janek, or Tank by nickname, was taller and bigger then others. He, like Luke, lived on a moisture farm. Tank was obviously the leader of this little gang, and he and a boy called Fixer were both closer to Galen's age. There was also Windy who seemed just to follow after everyone, and Deak, who followed him. The only girl was Camie. Among with Tank the two of them were the bossiest of the children.

It seemed almost everyone here had a nickname. Deak's real name was Deacon, Fixer's was Laze and Windy's was Windom. And like uncle Owen had told him, Windy's family name was indeed Starkiller.

They all seemed nice enough, but Galen was overwhelmed by the presence of so many people of his own age suddenly swarming around him and wanting to know everything about him. And there was little he could tell, so to Luke's delight his friend's soon lost interest in him. By the end of the day, Galen had become old news. Even the other children at the school left him alone quickly. They were even little afraid of him. And that was a good thing, Galen told himself. He was a Sith. He didn't need friends or have people like him.

The lessons were difficult. While he had studied a lot on his own, he realised he had a lot of catching up to do if he wished to do well here. His head hurt from how hard he had had to concentrate during the lessons kept in Huttese. So many words and phrases he didn't understand. He felt utterly helpless in face of it. He was glad when the day was over.

But his day didn't get any easier. It was time to start teaching Luke about the Force.

"Why can't you teach me cool stuff like using the laser sword?" Luke grumbled when Galen started explaining the principles of the Force. They were sat together at the dining table, facing each other. It was still unbearably hot, but Luke didn't want to be inside. The shade and the walls offered at least a little relief.

"It's not a 'laser sword', it's _a lightsabre_ ", Galen corrected with disdain dripping from his voice. "And it's a dangerous weapon against its wielder if you don't know how to use it", he explained haughtily. "You might slice your own leg off or impale your face with it if you held it wrong. I don't think your father would like that."

"I bet my father would like me to learn to wield 'a lightsabre' more than have me learn stupid things like the Force", Luke muttered.

"The Force is not stupid. You need to be able to control the Force if you ever want to wield a lightsabre. And you need to start exercising with me, too."

Luke stuck out his tongue rebelliously, but didn't say anything.

"Can you try at least?" Galen nearly pleaded.

Luke let out an exaggerated sigh, but closed his eyes. "I'm not feeling anything", he muttered after a few seconds.

"Yes you are, you just aren't aware of it."

"This is stupid", Luke muttered, but kept his eyes closed.

Galen bit his lip and tried to think. What had his training been like when he was a child? He couldn't remember time before living under Lord Vader's care. He couldn't remember ever being not aware of the Force.

"Let's try something different", he said, coming up with an idea. "Keep your eyes closed."

"Fine..." Luke sighed irritably, leaning the back of his head against the wall.

Galen stretched out his arm to pick some gravel from the yard with the Force. Little rocks, smaller than the tip of his finger, hung midair before with a flick of his wrist one flew and hit Luke's cheek.

"Ow!" Luke's eyes snapped open and he stroked the small red mark on his face. "What did you do that for?"

"Close your eyes, Luke."

"Why? So you can thrown more rocks at me? I'm telling Aunt Beru."

"It's just a small one. See?" Galen levitated the gravel over the table. Before Luke could snatch it, he called all of it on his palm. "Don't be such a crybaby. Close your eyes, empty your mind. You will feel it before it hits you, trust me."

Luke didn't look convinced in the least, but to Galen's surprise closed his eyes without further arguments. Galen gathered a few more before starting to flick them at Luke one by one.

"Ow", Luke complained at each hit. He didn't do anything to parry them or try to stop them.

"This isn't working. Can we stop?" the boy growled, eyes still closed.

"Not until you can stop me without touching me", Galen replied, flicking a new tiny rock at him.

"Come on, just stop it!"

"No."

"I said _stop it_!" Luke growled, slamming his hands on the table.

Galen's reaction was automatic. He instinctively raised his hand to fend off the Force push aimed at him. The gravel hit the wall.

It wasn't a strong Force push, but it was stronger than Galen would have imagined Luke being capable of. And what stunned him the most were Luke's eyes. They had a tiny glint of yellow around the pupils.

"Did I do that?" the boy gasped.

Galen nodded slowly. The stunned amazement must have been clear on his face because Luke blinked at him confusedly. "What?"

Galen shook his head. The yellow melted away, revealing the blue underneath. "Nothing. Well done."

"What was that? What did I do? How did I do it?" The boy was suddenly excited and desperate to know.

"You did it instinctively because I got you angry. It's a strong feeling, so it helps you to connect to the dark side of the Force. It's called a Force push. You use the Force to create a shock wave", Galen explained, demonstrating as he did so. He gathered up energy between his hands, then let it loose at Luke. It was just a tiny one, smaller than the one Luke had produced and all it did was to blow Luke's hair back from his face. It still impressed the boy, though.

"Awesome!" he beamed. "Do it again. Show me how it's done. I wanna do it again."

Galen showed it several times, then tried to guide Luke to do the same. It took another half an hour before Luke was able to produce the tiniest Force push Galen had ever felt. No stronger than the weakest breeze, but it was a start.

"I did it! I did it, Galen, I did it! I felt something!"

Even Galen couldn't help but to grin at his excitement. Luke did it again a couple of times, getting more in tune with the Force each time. But Galen's happiness was short lived. As soon as the suns went down and he lay awake in his bed after dinner and having finished with is own exercises, fear and jealousy started to seep into his heart. Only a few hours ago he had felt the same joy Luke had upon discovering his abilities. He had felt even a little proud of being able to be the one to help Luke. But now... All he could think of was how fast it had happened. How Luke's eyes had, even if for just a moment, gleamed yellow.

Luke hadn't been aware of it and Galen had not mentioned it. He had read of the phenomena, but he had never experienced it himself. It was a sign of extremely deep connection to dark side the Force. He had never seen Lord Vader without his mask, but he could only assume his eyes would be like that. In every colour holo he'd seen of the Emperor, the man's eyes were piercing yellow.

How could it happen to Luke? Luke didn't even know what the Force was!

He thought of how Darth Vader had once been Anakin Skywalker. Skywalker had been the most powerful Force sensitive ever to be born. What did it mean to be his son? His real blood and flesh son. Would it all just come naturally to Luke because Darth Vader was his father? It wasn't fair at all.

Perhaps Luke's mother had been a Force sensitive as well. For all he knew, she might have been a Jedi, too. She probably had been. Vader had said Obi-Wan had hidden Luke here without his knowledge. So maybe Luke's mother had conspired with Kenobi.

For nearly first time in his life he wondered who his own parents had been. Not because he wanted to have parents, but because he wanted to know of his heritage. Being a Force sensitive didn't necessarily have anything to do with genetics. A person completely blind to the Force could mother a powerful Force sensitive. Which evidently was the case when it came to his own master. From all he had heard, Shmi Skywalker most certainly hadn't been a Force sensitive.

So what about his own parents then? Who had they been? Were they just normal people? What had happened to them or whether they were dead or alive didn't really interest him. It didn't matter if they'd given him to Darth Vader or if Vader had took him by force. But he hoped his parents had had enough sense to give him over to the Dark Lord. No matter who they had been, they could have never offered him what Darth Vader had.

And the more he looked at Luke, the more he feared it would all be taken away from him.

* * *

Lieutenant Erv Lekauf came to a halt and waited for the door to close behind him. The room he had arrived to was a small meeting room, with a wall-sized tinted window to a busy sky lane. The closest hover cars passed only fifteen metres from the building, but he could barely seem them through the thick layer of clouds that were covering the upper levels today. He knew the place from his time under Lord Vader's service. In the middle of commerce buildings, this one served as a neutral ground for confidential meetings between businessmen and senators. Apart from the table and four chairs around it, the room was empty. The colours varied from white to dark shades of grey. In front of the window, forming a black silhouette against the dim afternoon's light stood Darth Vader.

"You requested to meet me, my Lord?"

The Sith Lord stood silently facing the near invisible traffic. Erv kept his stance and waited. He had worked as Darth Vader's personal assistant for some years, and could pride himself with knowing something of his behaviour. Although the HoloNet news suggested he had become even more ruthless during the past few years. Erv hadn't personally dealt with him for several years now, not after resigning after the incidence with the Force sensitive clones.

Almost as if sensing the course of his thoughts, Vader spoke: "How are you doing, Lieutenant?"

 _He probably does_ , he reminded himself. "Better, my Lord. Thank you."

Vader didn't acknowledge his gratitude. "Good. And your family?"

"They are well, my Lord", he replied. The questions he wouldn't have given any second thought to had they come from a friend sounded strange and almost menacing coming from the Dark Lord. He stood in silence, waiting for the other man to say something.

He had no idea why Lord Vader had so suddenly contacted him. He still worked for Darth Vader, just not as an aide anymore and not in a position that required him to personally see the Dark Lord. It wasn't a choice he had liked, but he had done it for the sake of his wife, who had understandably been upset after seeing the burns he had suffered. His two children hadn't been very happy to see them, either. They had cried and begged for him to quit his job.

Erv shook the thoughts of his family off. This didn't concern his family, at least he hoped it didn't. Lord Vader needed him for something, and although he didn't yet know for what, he would be more than happy to be of assistance. Perhaps this concerned the clones he had trained, or the clones that had since been produced from the tissue sample he had contributed at Arkanian Micro cloning facility.

"Of all the people who have served me, you, Lekauf, have never disappointed me", Darth Vader finally spoke. "Which is why I needed to meet you here, where I could be sure we would not be listened. Can I trust you, Lieutenant?"

"Of course, my Lord", Erv replied without slightest of hesitation, still not seeing where this was going.

"Would I then be wrong to say that you would put your loyalty to me ahead of your loyalty to the Empire and the Emperor?"

Erv was taken aback by the question. He opened his mouth to say something, then thought the better of it and pressed his lips together. It was a trick question, but why? A test. But for what reason? Answering either way could get him killed.

He could answer like a proper Imperial citizen should, but he knew Lord Vader could smell a lie kilometres away. But saying he was more loyal to Lord Vader than he was to the Emperor would be admitting a treason.

Erv straightened his back. "No, you would not be wrong, my Lord."

There was a short, tangible silence before Vader spoke. "I see. Why is that?"

"It is as I told to his Highness when he asked", Erv said with some more confidence. "I admire the fact that you would never ask your men to do something you would not do yourself."

Vader breathed twice, hands clasped together behind his back. It was the first time Erv even paid any attention to his breathing during this meeting.

"Then I must trust you, Lieutenant. I couldn't think of anyone else."

"My Lord?"

Vader spun around, facing him for the first time since his arrival and did something he very rarely did: he pulled a chair and sat down, motioning him to do the same. Erv sat across him, waiting for him to speak.

"Could you consider returning to my service, Lieutenant?"

Erv blinked. "Certainly, my Lord."

"Even if it meant you would need to be separated from your family again?"

Erv gulped. This wasn't at all what Erv had expected from the meeting.

"For how long?" he wanted to know. It had been hard six months on Yinchorr, but he could do it again if needed. This time his children where a little older. They would understand.

"Several years, perhaps, Lieutenant. But you must understand that I would not ask this, if I could think of anyone else."

"My Lord, I...don't understand" he stuttered in bewilderment. _Several years?_ No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't leave his family for that long. "What exactly do you need me to do?"

There was short silence, during which he could _feel_ the Dark Lord judging him inside out.

"Some time ago", the Sith Lord finally started, "I discovered I have a son."

Erv did his best not to gape at Darth Vader. "Congratulations", he uttered.

Vader shook his head slightly. "The Emperor does not know. And he must not know. He would have my son killed. Or perhaps he would have me killed instead. Either way, my son would suffer. I cannot allow that. He _must_ stay hidden until he is older."

Now Erv was definitely gaping. Of all the people, _Vader_ seemed to be hinting something of treasonous nature.

"I need someone to stay close to him. Someone who can move more freely than I can."

Vader kept looking straight at him while talking. He didn't look away, nor did he let his face betray his feelings, but he was sure Vader was aware of them nevertheless.

Disbelief. Fear. Loyalty. Grief.

He thought of his family, thought of leaving them and perhaps never seeing them again. They would not know why or where he would go, Vader would not risk it. Did he even have a say in this? He had already been trusted with the secret. He doubted he would walk out of the room alive if he refused.

"I need _you_ , Lekauf."

"I–I don't really have a choice, do I, my Lord?" he said bitterly. He didn't care if Vader thought it disrespectful. He wanted him to know just how impossible the thing he asked of him was.

Vader didn't say anything and Erv didn't dare to move a muscle, though the world around him was crumbling. He wanted to help Darth Vader, he truly did, but the thought of his family... He had no choice at all, did he?

"I realise that what I ask of you is cruel", Vader said after a long while. "Believe me, Lieutenant, I understand better than you may realise. If you agree, I will see to that your family will never suffer of any financial problems. Your children will go to the best schools the galaxy has to offer. Your family may stay here on Coruscant or move where ever they would like it better. I will have everything you request arranged for them."

Erv gulped. "Do I need to leave immediately? Or can I– Am I permitted to–?" He wasn't able to finish the sentence for the fear that his voice would crack.

Vader silenced him with an upturned hand. "You may see your family. But then, Lieutenant, you must die."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In The Ultimate Sith Edition of The Force Unleashed, Luke's eyes turn yellow almost immediately. Same, I think, happens to Anakin, though not quite as quickly. In any case, I'm assuming this "getting in tune with the dark side super fast" thing is a family trait, so this is the reason why I had Luke's eyes have a touch of yellow for a second in this chapter. If you were wondering.
> 
> Erv Lekauf is not my creation. He is in fact character from the eu and appears in couple of short stories. It's not really important for you to know anything about him (apart maybe from that his name is pronounced "lu-cough") and I'll be taking quite a lot of liberties in creating him some more background story. But, if you're interested to know more about the clone project he was part of (it doesn't have anything to do with this fic, it's just a relevant thing from his past), you can read [his Wookieepedia entry](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Erv_Lekauf).


	14. X

Galen was not the only soul in the house who felt restless that night. Young Luke tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. He was far too excited for what he had learnt today. All the annoyance he had felt towards his new brother at the school was forgotten. He wanted to learn more and he wanted to learn now.

But Galen had not taught him anything interesting after dinner. He had insisted Luke to take part in physical training. It had been worse than any physical education ever at school had been. He'd grown irritated and given up quickly, but agreed on letting PROXY guide him through some beginner manoeuvres Galen called katas. It had been boring and felt pointless, but if it could get him closer to get to try a real lightsabre...

Luke threw the blanket aside and sat up. He looked around in the dark room. If Galen could do it, why couldn't he? He was Darth Vader's son. Moving an object with his mind should be easy, shouldn't it?

He reached out his arm, just like he'd seen Galen do and burrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Nothing happened. He tried harder and harder until his hand was shaking, but the new space ship model didn't even stir.

"Move", he whispered under his breath. Still nothing. And the more he tried, the more frustrated he got. It was stupid! Why did it look so effortless when Galen did it? All he seemed to do was to wave his hand!

"Come on, move..." he muttered. Stupid thing.

He growled in annoyance and fell back on the mattress. He just couldn't do it!

"You must clear your mind, youngling."

The familiar voice startled Luke, but as soon as he saw the holo-like ghost he exclaimed: "You again!"

Ben Kenobi smiled. "Hello, Luke."

"What do you want?" Luke demanded, crossing his arms across his chest and staring rebelliously at the ceiling. The ghost Jedi didn't intimidate him in the slightest anymore.

"I came to see how you're doing. I worry for you, my child. Especially now that Vader's sent his corrupted ward to teach you."

"You mean Galen?"

"Yes. I fear for the influence he might have on you."

Luke turned to look at the man. "What do you mean?"

"There are two sides to the Force, Luke", he started.

"Yeah, I know", the boy interrupted. "Galen said that. Dark and light."

"Yes. The Jedi serve the light, the Sith the dark. The Jedi use the Force for good. We give ourselves to the Force, we let it guide us. We allow it to enlighten us. The Jedi use to Force to heal and to protect. Never for selfish reasons", Ben explained.

"The Sith bid the Force to their will. They seek power and personal gain. They allow it to corrupt themselves and leave only destruction in their wake. The dark side of the Force is an ally to evil."

Ben's words gave Luke a chill. It certainly made the Sith sound bad, but was his father not a Sith? Darth Vader was intimidating, but in the garage Luke hadn't felt threatened or scared. He had felt unsure, but safe in the man's presence.

"Which one is stronger?" Luke wanted to know instead of voicing his doubts.

"Neither. But the dark is far more seductive and dangerous."

Ben stepped closer. His face bore the most serious expression. "Luke, you cannot let evil seep into your heart. Do not let Vader's pupil corrupt you."

"Galen's not evil", Luke argued. He may not have liked Galen, but even so, he wouldn't have called him evil.

"He's well on his way. He's a savage wearing a child's armour. I don't know if he can be saved. He's been under Vader's influence for far too long. It's more important that you are not lost to the dark among with him."

"So what should I do?" Luke asked unsurely. Ben spoke as if Galen was secretly some kind of a monster. Like his father was one, too. But that was exactly what people said, wasn't it? He pulled the blanket closer to hide his trembling lip. He was reminded of his nightmares, of the dark, towering presence looming over him. What if it was his father, and not the Emperor? What if Ben was right and his father was an evil monster? What would that make him?

"Do not let fear take you over", Ben warned him. "Fear is the first step to the dark side, and I already saw your father be consumed by it. It's alright to be scared, but you cannot let the fear control you. You must learn to clear your mind. Accept the feeling, then let it go."

"How?" Luke's voice was barely audible.

"Close your eyes. Breathe. Don't think. Let the Force speak to you."

"I don't even know what the Force is", Luke sighed shakily, but followed the Jedi's instructions.

"The Force is an energy field created by life. It's all around us. It's inside us", Ben told him. "Inside you, there are millions of tiny lifeforms called midi-chlorians that react to this energy field. They allow you to be aware of it. You might have noticed how you sometimes react to things before they happen. I've seen you play ball with your friends in Anchorhead. There are times when you see the ball move before it really does, and this allows your reflexes to work faster. That is the midi-chlorians reacting to the Force, and you reacting to them. The Force is and has always been with you, Luke. You just haven't been consciously aware of it. But you have always been able to rely on it nevertheless."

Luke nodded absentmindedly. Galen had said it, too.

"Be calm and passive. Let the Force guide you."

Luke breathed in and exhaled slowly. He felt something. It was hard to put into words, but it was if there was something. Something just at the edge of his conscious mind. Awareness. He could feel the air move around him in the room. He could almost see the walls and the space behind them. He could feel the desert outside. Aunt Beru and uncle Owen, both of them calm and deep in sleep.

And then there was... Luke frowned as the tendrils around him grew colder. The closer he let his mind go to Galen, the colder it got. It was as if there were invisible, intangible tentacles seeking to wrap all around him. Like smoke, but crisp and intoxicating.

Luke gasped and opened his eyes. Ben still stood by his bed, watching over him.

"I felt it", he said. "I could almost see the desert! I know uncle and aunt are sleeping."

He didn't feel like mentioning the feeling he got from even approaching Galen in his mind. He didn't still fully trust Ben.

The Jedi smiled at him. "Then perhaps you would like to try again?" he said, nodding towards the spaceship model.

"Okay..."

Luke sat back up and reached his arm out.

"Close your eyes, Luke. Feel the room around you. Feel the ship. See it come to you, and it will."

The boy nodded. Just like moments before, he could feel the room around him, was aware of every single centimetre of it. He could feel the ship and every detail of it. And when it flew across the room into his waiting arms, he was so amazed he barely caught it.

"I did it. Ben, I really did it..!" he beamed at the Jedi and grasped the ship in his arms.

"I knew you could", the man agreed with a smile.

"Teach me more!"

Ben shook his head. "Not tonight. You must get your rest. But I will be back to teach you whenever you can spare a moment."

"But I'm not tired", Luke whined. "Please, I want to know more."

"I'm relieved to hear that, but I cannot keep you up all night. Be wary of Vader's pupil", he warned. "Do not let him know I taught you."

"Why?" Luke didn't like keeping secrets and there were already too many of them for him.

"He is loyal to Vader, he's a servant of evil. For now, you're safest here, but you must not let him corrupt you. I can help you to see the Light, but I fear what would happen should he know. I cannot allow Vader to send you elsewhere."

"Would he really do that?"

"I fear he might, Luke. Do not mistake Vader's will to possess you for love. He wants you, because he thinks he needs you to achieve his goals. He wants to turn you to the dark side. He wants to make you an instrument of evil, like he's turned that other boy to be. I cannot allow that to happen to you. We must be cautious, and cunning like the dark is. Vader's ward is currently in the midst of the enemy, but so are you."

"What do I do?" Luke bit his lip and hugged the spaceship model. He thought of his aunt and uncle. Would he ever see them again if Ben was right, and his father would take him away should he know of Ben teaching him about the Force?

"You continue like none of our lessons happened. When you're a little older, we will figure something out. For now, you just need to stay safe and learn as much as you can."

"Alright", Luke agreed weakly.

The Jedi smiled gently down at him. "Don't worry, my boy. The Force will be with you. Goodnight for now."

Ben's shimmering form disappeared as he had never been in the room. Luke tossed himself on his side and buried himself under the blanket. He didn't want to keep secrets. He didn't know what to think or believe. Ben kept saying his father was a terrible person. The Jedi didn't even consider Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader the same person. Aunt Beru feared him. She tried to hide it, but Luke just _knew_ she was afraid of his father.

But uncle Owen had always despised Ben. His father had killed Kenobi. Galen had been angry and said the Jedi were all weak and that they were liars when Luke had mistakenly called him a Jedi. It had been when Galen tried to explain him about the Force.

Ben just repeated over and over again how the dark side was evil, but Galen had told him the dark side was about infinite power that you could use the way you wanted to. That with the dark side in your command you could be whatever you wanted to be. Galen said that the Jedi feared their own feelings and tried to feel nothing at all. That the Jedi didn't allow themselves to enjoy anything, and that the Sith embraced their feelings and drew energy from them. The Sith didn't sound so bad when Galen had explained it.

Luke stared into his dark room with troubled thoughts. How could he know who to trust and who to listen?

* * *

Erv Lekauf returned home with a heavy heart that night. After talking with –negotiating what he could with Lord Vader, he returned to his work as if nothing had happened. It was essential that no one would think there was anything extraordinary in his day. He sat down on the sofa to watch news as he always did, but he could not concentrate on them. His thoughts were lightyears away. The news changed to weather report, the weather report to advertisements and the advertisements to a popular holodrama, but he sat watching without seeing any of it.

"Erv? Everything okay?"

Erv snapped out of his thoughts at the worried voice and a gentle hand placed on his shoulder. Slowly he shifted his gaze from the HoloNet to his wive.

"Yes, yes…" he reassured her, taking her hand. "I guess I'm just tired, that's all."

She pressed her lips together and drew her hand back. "Did something happened at work?"

"No, nothing unusual. Lord Vader's back to the capital and everyone's getting busy again."

"I know", she said gently. The name reminded her of the origins of Erv's burns. She knew how her husband felt for them and she _did_ understand. She was proud of her husband's bravery. And she was just as loyal to the Empire, but she wished Erv wouldn't feel so badly about quitting his job as Lord Vader's aide.

She sighed softly. "Every single news about Dressel mentions it."

Erv smiled apologetically and pulled her next to him on the sofa. "Elisa… Let's not talk about work and politics."

She worked at the Senate, so naturally she was drawn to politics. They could easily talk for hours about the Empire's current political climate, and it had helped him numerous times with his work. But he wanted none of that now. He looked at her face, trying to memorise every single line of it. The wrinkles at the corner of her blue eyes, the light eyebrows she trimmed into even arches, the straight nose, her full lips and small mouth…

"What?" she chuckled coyly and tried to turn her head, but Erv caught her face between his hands. She giggled. "Erv, stop, you're making me blush."

"You're beautiful."

She laughed. "Oh, so that's it. Lieutenant…" she added mischievously, playing with a strand of her husband's hair.

Elisa leant closer to place a teasing kiss on his lips and her hand brushed the scarred skin on the hairline above his ear. Erv closed his eyes, inhaled her scent and let himself drown into her.

* * *

He could not sleep, no matter how hard he tried. Didn't want to, though he knew he should have. Didn't want to miss a second of his last hours with his family.

Elisa had fallen asleep an hour ago. For a long time Erv had just watched her sleeping form in the light of the planet that never truly slept. Her chest moved slightly up and down under the covers in the rhythm of her breathing. If she knew, she would probably understand. They both agreed that duty came first.

Erv stood up gingerly, pulled a dressing gown on and tiptoed out of the room. He paused at the door to his daughter's room. He hesitated for several seconds, before sentiment got the better of him. The door slid open silently, revealing the darkened room behind. His daughter's school uniform hung ironed and washed next to the closet, her flute was on the table with a messy pile of datapads and datacards.

Sahiri slept peacefully, enveloped under the duvet. Unaware of her father's watchful eyes, who thought of Lord Vader and the secret that had been trusted to him without his consent.

Lord Vader was a father as well. What a bizarre thought that was. Looking at his daughter, Erv could understand the raw need to protect his offspring –no matter the consequences. Was that how Vader felt as well? Was Vader even capable of such feelings?

He did not doubt Darth Vader's words, of course he didn't. If Lord Vader said he had a son, then it must have been true. How it had come to be was none of his business, even if he could not help but to wonder.

Erv shook his head. He had served under the Dark Lord long enough to understand that despite he may have looked like a machine, he most certainly wasn't one. True, Lord Vader was ruthless and unforgiving, but he also had a sense of honour Erv admired. He could not imagine Lord Vader as a father, but he could also not picture him as a man who would ever abandon a child of his own like Erv knew far too many men in the Senate and the Court had done. And while he could not, and did not want to imagine any natural circumstances that had led into Vader fathering a child, he could also not believe Vader to have ever forced himself on someone. Such things were beyond his dignity, certainly.

He wondered, if Vader loved his child or the woman who was the mother. If he even knew what love was.

If so, Erv could understand if not forgive that Vader as well was prepared to go to any lengths to protect his child. The Dark Lord certainly wasn't known for his kindness or his empathy, so Erv was hardly surprised that he would so easily and willingly destroy Erv's family to protect his own.

And yet... Erv had agreed. Not because of the hanging threat of death above him, but because he wanted to. Whether he had agreed or not, the result for his family would have been essentially the same.

He remembered looking into Vader's unemotional mask as the Dark Lord asked: "Will you do this for me, Lieutenant?"

He had thought of everything Lord Vader had explained and of everything that had still been left unsaid. Of everything he would lose. "What choice do I have?"

"None."

Erv turned away and left his daughter's room, fighting back the urge to go and see his son as well. Instead, he found himself from the living room and watched the city lights behind the window. Even in the middle of the night, he skylanes were busy. A glance to the chrono on the wall told it was past 0100. His shift started at 0700. If he'd go to bed and fall asleep right away, he could get three to four hours of decent sleep.

Sighing, he turned away from the window and returned to his bedroom. It was the sensible thing to do and despite of his doubts, he did sleep. Elisa would not go to the Senate until 0900, but she always got up at the same time with him when he had a morning shift. The children appeared for breakfast only minutes from Erv's inevitable departure. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but now he sighed in relief. He'd been afraid the children would not wake up before he left.

"See you in the evening", Elisa called from the kitchen.

"Have a good day with the senators. Love you, Eli."

"I know. Go on, you don't want to be late. The traffic looks pretty bad today."

"Isn't it always?" he sighed, eyeing at the sky lanes behind the window. It would be a sunny day.

"Dad, wait!"

His daughter ran to him and tugged at the sleeve of his uniform. "Remember that you promised to give me and Mayn a ride to see the holofilm I talked the other day? Pirates of Corellia 3. Johrra Balaq's in it", she explained hurriedly with dreamy eyes.

He had forgotten, of course he had, but his sabacc face kept. "Of course. Make sure you're ready at 1830 or we won't make it in time."

It almost brought tears into his eyes to make such an empty promise, but he tried to push the feeling away. There would be time for tears later.

Sahiri rolled her eyes. "Of course I'll be. Bye, dad."

"Goodbye, Sahiri", he said, leaning down to kiss the crown of her head. "Bye, Xaher", he called. "See you in the evening."

He got a sleepy reply from his son that might have been a "see ya". He gave a one last glance at his family, then quickly turned to leave before he'd have a chance to somehow try to cop out of the whole deal. He got in his hover car and joined the morning traffic to wait for the inevitable.

* * *

The crash came the moment he least waited it. An air taxi coming from the upper lane collided with the back of is car, sending him spinning down towards the lower levels. His instincts took over immediately, but the vehicle did not seem to respond and crash-landed on an empty street at least ten levels below. He hit his forehead to the steering wheel and a spectrum stars exploded before his eyes. The vehicle had hardly even come to its sudden stop, when the door was yanked open and half-stunned Erv was pulled out by a blue skinned Duros. He was then dumped to a hands of a Human female, who immediately started to strip off his uniform.

"What..?" he blurted out, still dazed from the hit on his forehead. His first instincts told him to attack and defend himself, but she evaded his uncoordinated attack easily. But this all hat to be part of the plan, he remembered, and relaxed upon the realisation.

"Don't struggle, we need to be out when the police and medics arrive", the woman hissed, throwing his jacket to another Duros who started to dress a man lying unconscious on the street.

"Come on, quickly. Step out of your trousers and boots", she ordered, snatching away his cap.

"Wait, in my jacket pocket–" he started, but doing as she had told him to.

"This?" the woman held out a small leather case, already pressing it into his hands. She gave the rest of his uniform for her Duros friend.

"Make sure you get the face", she called tot he Duros man.

 _My clone..!_ Erv realised. The man on the ground was his clone. It had to be one from the older batches, because the clone didn't look significantly any younger than the original, but he had more hair and no scars on his face. He saw the first Duros take something from under the control panel of the crashed hover car, but he didn't manage to get a closer look because the woman shoved him a long coat and a hooded cloak.

"Put them on, we're leaving."

The Duros dragged the clone to the seat Erv had been sitting on less than a minute earlier. He saw a nasty bump on the clone's forehead that could have easily been caused like the one on his own head. He watched in dazed horror as the Duros poured clear liquid on the car's seats and on the clone's head.

 _Make sure you get the face._ There'd be no face left after—

"Come on", the woman urged him. The last he saw of his vehicle, was of it catching on fire. The whole thing had taken less than two minutes. The two Duros quickly followed. They hurried through narrow, dark alleys. Erv half ran, half allowed himself to be dragged forward. He was barefoot, wearing nothing but his underwear under the coat that reached his knees and the cloak that hid his face. The hood essentially blinded him, so he could only trust the woman holding his arm. His left hand tried to keep the coat and cloak securely around him and in his right he clutched the leather case that now contained all the physical evidence he had of his former life.

They came to a sudden halt. The abrupt stop made him feel dizzy and wobbly on his feet, but he was quickly pulled into the backseat of a speeder.

"Phew, that was easier than I expected!" the Human woman sighed, collapsing to the seat next to him. "You okay?"

"I'll survive", he replied as the vehicle pulled off the street.

"Lemme see your head", she said, pulling the hood down. Erv pressed his eyes shut for a moment as concerned hazel eyes examined him. She whistled. "That's one nasty bump. Hey, Plyss, got any clean rags or bacta?"

"In the ship", came a reply from the front seat.

"He's bleeding."

"I am?" Erv felt his forehead and indeed, the cause for the throbbing, painful sensation in his head was a large bulge over his left eye. Small amount of blood remained on his fingers.

"Doesn't seem too serious", he said despite still seeing stars whenever moving his head too quickly. His thoughts still seemed slow and he felt like he didn't have enough time to react to things happening around him. _Could be concussion_ , he concluded.

"I'll take a closer look at it when we get to our ship", the woman promised and then leant back on her seat.

"So, what makes you want to escape the Empire? Gonna join some rebellion?" she inquired jokingly.

Erv narrowed his eyes at the suggestion. Then again, wasn't it partly true? He'd now officially become part of Darth Vader's rebellion. "I believe that's none of your business."

She shrugged. "Fine, whatever. Just trying to make some conversation."

"Shut up, Reena, will ya?" the Duros behind the wheel called.

Reena said something in a language Erv didn't understand, but he could still recognise a friendly insult. He tried to discreetly see where he was and with whom. He had been brought back to the main skylanes, but they were going away from the Imperial Palace, away from the sector his home was located in. His handlers... Almost certainly bounty hunters.

"We handled that pretty good, right?" Reena chuckled, ignoring a reply from the front seat.

Erv was still running through the events of the past ten minutes in his head. "You tampered my car?"

"Yeah, last night. Couldn't have you crash on a wrong alley", Reena explained. She grinned. "Don't worry, all evidence was removed. No witnesses. Congratulations, mister, you're officially dead."

* * *

The bounty hunters took Lieutenant Lekauf to their ship, provided him with a medpac and better clothing. By the time he had washed the small wound on his head, dressed it with a bacta-patch, swallowed painkillers and changed into his new clothes, they were already in the orbit. Without anything better to do and with no idea where he was going, he simply sat down to wait. Soon, he heard muffled voices outside the small room.

"I can't believe he's letting it go with just having us do this" an excited voice he recognised as Reena's exclaimed. "We're so lucky. This was easy!"

"We better watch our backs", the Duros who had been driving said in a lower voice. "We don't know who this guy we just picked up is. Some high up Imperial. We might get a murder charge if we're caught."

"We won't. This was _easy_! Cheer up a bit."

"If we're still alive after we've delivered him, I might."

"You're such a worrywart."

"Somebody's got to do it. And _you_ shouldn't get so chatty with the clients…"

The voices faded into the hum of the engines. He felt a slight jerk when the ship jumped to Hyperspace.

 _Definitely no return now…_ He fiddled the leather case in his pocket, but did not take it out. Several minutes passed, until Reena finally popped in.

"You look better", she commented and sat across him. "Just a short jump. You'll be out of our hands in half an hour."

Erv simply nodded. He had no idea what would happen from this point. Vader had told him he would "die" in an arranged traffic accident and that he wouldn't need to worry about getting away. He would be given further information later.

The whole thing felt unreal. Just an hour ago he'd been home, having breakfast and everything around him had seemed so normal. And now, an hour later, he was probably officially dead, had no idea where he was going or how he would get there. The only thing he knew was that all this was for him to become a link between Vader and the caretakers of his son.

"So, are you planning on starting a new life on the outer rim, or something like that?"

"Something like that, I guess. I don't know yet", he replied truthfully.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business."

"No, no it's not", Erv agreed. "What about you? You seem like you've been doing this kind of things before."

"Similar stuff, yeah", she admitted. "This was actually more like paying off a debt than real work. I'm glad it worked out so painlessly. Wouldn't like to be indebted to your buddy any longer than necessary."

Erv frowned at her use of the word "buddy", but chose to keep quiet. She talked for a while about how she got into the business, how she had young child back home with her mother she needed to support, how she and her late husband had been good friends with the two Duros men she now worked with. Erv listened to her chatter half-heartedly until the ship came out of Hyperspace and one of the Duros' appeared to call her to the cockpit.

Erv was left alone to listen. The hull of the ship hummed and clanked, and it soon became evident why.

"We've latched on to your new ride", Reena told him upon her return. "Here. Your survival kit", she continued and handed him a large bag.

"Clothes, food, bacta, a blaster and so on. Good luck, whatever it is you're gonna do."

Erv accepted the bag. "Thank you."

He followed her to the airlock that had been securely attached to another one in the other ship he now had to cross into. The other of the Duros was there, the one Reena had called Plyss. And another, familiar person with him. Erv did not let his sabacc face falter when the armoured man looked at him, then waved his arm as an order to cross into the other ship without a word.

Erv complied in silence. He could see why now the Duros had sounded worried about the exchange of cargo. He nodded a goodbye to the two bounty hunters who had brought him this far, then stepped through the airlock onto a bridge between the ships and walked to the other. His new, and by the looks of it, his actual pilot followed, motioning him to continue further into the ship. As soon as they were both inside the infamous ship Erv had heard through is earlier work under Lord Vader's command, the armoured bounty hunter proceeded to break the seal between the ships.

"I know you", Erv commented.

"I have a reputation", came a nonchalant reply.

"You're Boba Fett. I've hired you on behalf of Lord Vader a few times."

The helmeted bounty hunter turned around and looked at him for several seconds before saying: "Oh yes, I remember now. You're the guy who answers the comm."

"Aide", Erv provided him with the correct word.

"Not anymore, I hear", Fett remarked, turning back to his work. "Vader's sending you on some stealth mission."

"I'm not authorised to talk about it."

"Good. I hate chatty cargo."

The message was clear, so Erv waited in silence until Fett was done and then followed him to the cockpit. It was a strange ship. Fett immediately sat on his seat and powered up the monitors. Erv occupied himself by observing on the other ship that was moving into the view.

His attention was back on Fett and the controls of the ship when something beeped several times, like a weapon system locking onto a target.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting rid of witnesses."

Fett fired his photon torpedoes before Erv could even think of his course of action, and all he could do was to watch the torpedoes hit their target. The shields of _Slave I_ held easily against the debris. Only rubble was left of the ship he walked out of ten minutes ago.

"What happens now?" he asked after a moment of stunned silence.

Fett turned his helmeted head sharply. " _You_ move out of my cockpit. Then, I will deliver you as Lord Vader requested."

He threw the Lieutenant a datadisc. "From Vader. If you see him, tell him I'm not his errand boy."

"I doubt I will, but I'll keep that in mind", Erv muttered, turning the disc in his hands. It looked just like a typical disc one could find in any office.

"I don't have a datapad with me", he told. He had had several in his car, but those were long gone by now.

"Too bad", Fett said. His attention was on the console again and readying the ship for a jump. "You're not reading it on my 'pad. I'm not destroying a perfectly good datapad just because Vader's paranoid."

"Do you have any idea what's on it?"

"No, and I don't want to know. Get out of my cockpit, Lieutenant, before I remove you myself."

Erv knew better than to star arguing, so he left as demanded and sat on the first seat he found. His fingers found the leather case again and caressed it gingerly. _Not yet_ , he told himself and withdrew his hand rom his pocket. He examined the datadisc again, but there was nothing out of ordinary about it. He would have to find a way to see the message, but not yet. It may have looked innocent, but Vader would not have let his instructions in the hands of Boba Fett if there was a way for the bounty hunter to copy or see it. It would likely self-destruct if any attempts were made to copy it and it probably could be viewed only once.

Whatever it contained, it would have to wait. For now, he himself could only wait. Wherever Fett would take him, it would be a far away from home and it would mark a new a beginning for him. And his long exile would begin.

* * *

Luke's progress was frighteningly fast. First he wouldn't know a thing and somehow the next day he'd do it like he'd been training for weeks even though they had started only a few days ago. Galen tried to reassure himself that these were all terribly basic things and that he would be far more frustrated if Luke didn't grasp the idea so quickly.

There were still things Luke struggled with, thankfully. It was hard for him to grasp that levitating a datapad and levitating a chair were the same thing. The difference in their size mattered only in his head. The other was made of more molecules than the other, but neither was heavier than the other.

"Master Luke is a quick learner", PROXY praised. "It took you much longer to learn this."

Galen's frown deepened. "Yeah, well I was four years old when I was learning that. Human children don't have fully developed motor skills at that age. And it's not like Luke's got them perfected yet."

The both watched Luke complete one of the easiest beginner katas. Though he had initially complained that learning how to step and hold his posture would be boring and useless, he seemed to have had a change of heart. Galen suspected the boy must have done the katas alone in his room after bedtime as well.

But for all his skills, he was still impatient.

"Do it again, Luke."

"But I've done it thirty-four times now! I wanna learn something new", Luke whined.

"Do it another thirty-four times then. You have to do it until you could do it in your sleep. Remembering how the step goes isn't same a doing the kata purely. It has to become an instinct."

Luke folded his arms. "No."

"Do it again", Galen repeated.

"No! I don't want to! I'm sick of this, I already know how to do this."

"Well then you can easily do it one more time."

"I don't want to!" Luke screamed at him.

"I know how it's like, trust me", Galen assured him. "You're frustrated and angry. That's normal. And it's a good thing! You can use and channel that energy–"

"I don't care! I told you, I won't do it again!"

"You'll have to."

"Why? Because you say so?"

"Yes."

"No. You don't get to tell me anything. You're not my real brother. You're not even my friend. You're just some stupid henchman my dad sent here because he doesn't care! I bet he doesn't care about you, either. I hate him, and I hate you and I hate your stupid lessons. Just leave me alone!"

"He might be your father, but you know nothing about my Master", Galen hissed back at him.

"Well I hate him, anyway!"

Luke tried to hit him, but Galen parried him easily by grabbing the boy's wrist.

"Let me go!" Luke struggled and pulled and tried to kick him, so Galen let go. Luke kicked sand and pebbles at him and ran inside. Galen stood in the middle of the yard, dumbfounded by the boy's tantrum. He tried not to care about Luke's words. He'd been angry when he said them, and he had told just the same to PROXY and Master Vader when he had been younger. Hating your teacher was a natural point of the learning curve. It was natural of mind and body rebel against new things.

"That didn't go very well", PROXY commented after a moment of silence.

"I guess not", Galen sighed.

"Should we go after him?"

Galen exhaled heavily and shook his head. Let Luke go if he wanted to. He didn't want to teach any more than Luke wanted him as a teacher. The dutiful side of him reminded it was his mission from Master Vader to teach Luke, but he pushed the thought aside. They could continue tomorrow and at least this way he'd have more time to train himself.

"Galen?" aunt Beru's voice called him. The apprentice and his droid turned to look at the woman stepping out to the yard from the same door Luke had just used for his escape.

"Did you and Luke have a fight?" she asked.

"No. Luke didn't want to continue training and started yelling at me."

"Maybe he just needed a break", aunt Beru tried to suggest. When Galen said nothing, she beckoned him to follow. "Come."

Galen and PROXY sat down around the dining table, and waited for Beru to return with glasses of cold water for herself and the boy.

"Tell me what happened", she prompted once she was sat opposite to him.

Galen gripped the damp glass with both hands. It felt freezing against his warm skin.

"We were teaching Luke basic katas. Well, one of them, anyway", he told. "They're these...set of moves that will later be combined with lightsabre moves. Luke got bored of doing it, because you've got to repeat them over and over again. You need to do them for hours, they need to become part of you."

"Galen, he's nine years old. You can't expect him to be able to concentrate on something like that for hours", Beru chided him.

"But mistress Beru, it is essential for master Luke to learn the basics before everything else", PROXY argued. "Master Galen was doing the same katas at the age of three or four."

Beru leant against her hand and looked absolutely torn. Galen could feel the emotions and reason battling within her. She didn't want Luke to be trained at all, but it wasn't for her to decide.

"Luke is older than you were when you started", she began.

"You have to give him time. He's not used to anything like this, and it will take time for him to adjust to all the changes he's had in his life recently. But I will talk to him", she promised. "Maybe we can come to a compromise. He will continue the Sith training, but he needs breaks. When you notice him getting tired, stop for a few minutes. Have him drink some water before continuing. You keep forgetting to drink enough yourself. And maybe you could have some variety. Let him try new things even if he hasn't perfected everything."

"But he just yelled and ran away today."

"He's nine", Beru reminded him again. "He's a child. Children get angry sometimes."

"I'd be dead if I acted like that", Galen muttered.

Beru's expression darkened, but she chose to remain silent. She emptied her glass in one go and rose.

"I don't think Luke will agree to any more training today. You can continue with PROXY, but after dinner I want you to concentrate on your homework, okay?"

"Alright", Galen agreed wearily. He was just glad he didn't need to try convince Luke into continuing with the training.

Beru smiled at him fondly and reached out to briefly caress his short hair. It was already growing out of the military cut it had always been.

"You're a good boy, Galen", she murmured.

Galen didn't know how to reply, but Beru didn't seem to expect him to say anything. She left and the apprentice sat staring into his glass of water for several seconds before pushing it aside.

"Come on, PROXY. We can spar. Maybe Luke'll join us tomorrow."

They sparred on the yard until Beru started setting the table for dinner. Luke didn't speak to him at all during it and Galen didn't see him for the rest of the night. He spent ages with Beru trying to finish his homework and trying to catch up with the rest of the class. Sleep didn't come easy that night, either. Eventually he gave up entirely and got up. He took his lightsabre with him, intending to go out, but his feet led him to Luke's door.

He hesitated before opening the door an stepping inside.

Luke slept peacefully, his tiny lips parted and the covers kicked away. Not aware he was being watched. Some Sith that would make.

Starkiller stepped closer and stopped to stand by the bed, looking down at him. He couldn't really clearly see the younger boy in the darkness, but he heard him breathing and could feel his presence. If he'd concentrate, he could feel the amazing Force potential under the layers that made him seem like a mundane, ordinary being. How he wished Luke would have been exactly that.

His hand stroked the lightsabre hilt. Wouldn't it be so easy?

What did Luke know of anything? Who was he to destroy his life? This boy knew nothing, _was nothing_.

Starkiller had devoted his entire life to Darth Vader, but this boy had taken it all away by just existing. Now his Master had dumped him here, expected him to teach this boy all he knew. And what then? Would Vader really abandon his apprentice so easily? Throw away all the years he'd trained him, just because of this boy?

He felt tears burn in his eyes because he knew that was exactly what Vader would do. Vader would have him train Luke, and then he would discard him like trash if Luke proved to be better than him. He'd always known Vader would not hesitate to replace him if he were deemed unworthy, but he had never been this close to losing his position before. The fear that all of his training, all the hours devoted to becoming worthy of being Master Vader's apprentice were for nothing was like a constant choke hold around his throat.

But even if he killed Luke now, he could never go back to before. Master would never forgive him, if he killed his son. If Luke even was Vader's son. Luke certainly seemed to be sure of it, but... Could Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader really be the same person? How could that be?

Was it all a test? Could these people be just actors? Had Vader ordered them to annoy Starkiller until he would snap and fail his orders to obey? How he wished it would have been so.

But no. There was no deceit. No ill intensions. All he could sense from his new caretakers were genuine emotions and good intentions. They were not Force sensitives nor trained to work with Force sensitives. All they had told him about Vader they believed themselves.

And Darth Vader had not lied about Luke. Even though Starkiller was certain he could never tell if his master lied to him, the last time he'd seen him had been different. Vader never hid his anger, but Starkiller had never felt darkness as tangible as he had when Vader spoke of Obi-Wan's betrayal. Vader's wrath against that Jedi was unlike anything else. The emotions he had felt when Vader said he had a son had been more raw and genuine he had ever felt in his master's presence. If he were told that of all the things Vader had ever told him only one thing was true, he would have picked that moment. Vader did not doubt Luke's heritage.

What a strange thing it was. Did Luke look at all like his father, he wondered. He had never seen his master's face. Because Shmi and his son had been slaves, there were no holos of Anakin Skywalker as a child. If there were, those had been destroyed with the Jedi archives. He had seen holos of Skywalker as a Jedi, but he couldn't see any resemblance between an adult face he had seen a few times and this child.

Luke shifted in his sleep, cutting Galen's train of thought. The boy didn't wake up and remained unaware of the uninvited presence in his room.

Galen gripped the lightsabre hilt in his hand –and then doubled back, realising his thumb was hovering over the activation button. He glanced at Luke again, suddenly horrified of how close he'd come to kill him. Luke had taken everything from him, but there was nothing, _nothing_ he could do about it but to obey his master. His eyes were watering alarmingly, so he turned around and did the only thing he could: escaped back into his room as quickly and quietly as he could. It was the first time in two years he buried his head in the pillow and let the tears come.


	15. XI

"Where are we?" Erv asked as he finally stepped out of _Slave I_. It had been a tedious journey. Fett didn't speak to him unless necessary, and while he was used to company of silent, helmeted people, it had grown boring very quickly. He had spent most of his time in the small passenger space avoiding Fett, who equally avoided him by staying in the cockpit and his tiny living space behind it Erv had spied upon his visit there.

The landing platform he now stood on was either a hangar on some spaceport or a hangar on a very large spaceship. Either way, it was completely deserted, yet spotlessly clean.

"Scarl system", Fett replied. "What this ship is, I've no idea. One of Empire's secret projects, probably."

"What now?"

"I leave, you stay. I was paid to bring you here and nothing more."

Erv let his bag drop on the still newly shining floor. "Right."

He looked around the hangar, half expecting at least a droid to appear, but the hangar remained abandoned save for the two of them.

"Wouldn't you at least give me a datapad? Surely Lord Vader can afford to get you a new one on top of whatever he's paying you. I'm fairly certain he wants me to see what's on this", he said, holding the datadisc between his fingers.

"I don't have any spare ones. Vader knows where to find you. It's not like you're leaving without a ship."

Fett marched back into _Slave I_ without any further words. The ramp started closing behind him immediately, and Erv thought it better to pocket the datadisc, pick up his bag and step further away. He watched the notorious ship lift off and disappear out of an enormous airlock. Having stood behind _Slave I_ , he hadn't even realised it was there, nor how close to it he actually was. The sheer size of the hangar was ridiculous. It looked like half a Star Destroyer would have been able to dock in there.

"What now?" he asked again into the emptiness, but his voice was lost into the vastness of the hangar. He stood still for a moment, expecting something to happen. If he stood still for long enough, would the lights go off? Would they come back on? He didn't really want to risk it, so he picked up his bag again and started walking towards the far wall. There were windows to the control rooms and doors of different sizes here and there. Larger ones to rooms that would probably house large equipment on wheels or repulsors. Smaller ones to crew rooms and further into the ship.

The echo of his steps was the only sound indicating there was any life here. The first two doors he tried refused to open without a pass or a door code, so when the third one opened on its own he decided to step into the hallway behind it. It was near identical to any hallway on any Imperial ship. Bare and void of any indicators of where he might be.

Why in the stars' name would have Lord Vader brought him here? There must be something in here, but what, Erv had no idea. Surely his son wasn't here?

Everything so far seemed to work despite he hadn't seen a single soul yet. He took a lift several levels up and found himself at a door to one of the many control rooms viewing the hangar. The door was locked.

He pondered the situation. He needed a computer, that much was certain. He needed to see what was on the datadisc and he needed this ships layout to find out where he was and where to go. The control rooms were his best chance so far.

The more he thought of what he'd witnessed so far, the more certain he became this place wasn't abandoned. It was brand new. So perhaps...

Erv opened the door panel to reveal the number keys behind the card reader and keyed in a twelve digit manufacturer setting code. The lights flashed green and the door slid open. Lights went on in the long, narrow room. Huge windows to the docking bay covered most of the walls behind the computer stations. Everything was on and running, and the computers granted him access with a manufacturer password.

First thing he did was search for the layout. The access to any technical data and detailed floor plan was restricted, but a visitor's version was all he needed.

It was astonishing. Absolutely astonishing. He had to read twice to make sure he'd read it right. He knew of the plans for the rumoured moon sized battle station, but a Star Destroyer of this scale..? He had worked as one the closest people to Lord Vader, yet he had never known of this. The ship was massive compared to any normal sized Star Destroyer.

It must have been a very well kept secret indeed, considering it floated here seemingly alone in the space. He'd never heard of Scarl, either.

He was currently on 27th level and the docking bay he'd arrived to was one of the many, many more. But to figure out where to go, he would need to see the datadisc first. There was no password, but it asked his biometric identifications: fingerprints, DNA, voice, irises. Quite standard with any delicate documents, and the control room was well equipped for that.

For his relief, the document that opened didn't appear to be anything that would destroy itself or corrupt the reader it was in, now that all the correct identifications had been provided to open it. On the contrary, it wanted a new password to be created, so clearly Vader meant for him to keep it.

A wise decision, for the disc contained far more information he cared to devour in one go. A much more detailed floor plan of the Star Destroyer with several places marked in the lower levels. Coordinates of is exact location, coordinates to Tattoo system in Arkanis sector, and planetary coordinates for Tatooine. The names of the people he was to seek. Contact details he was not encouraged to use. It would be complete radio silence that could go on for months, and even then it would be Vader who'd contact. And only if he deemed it necessary.

Erv skimmed through everything, then tried to focus on what was currently useful. The Star Destroyer was Vader's to be flagship, still under construction. It had served as his apprentice's home and training ground for years.

Vader had never mentioned an apprentice, but knowing he had been keeping such secret for years surprised him less than it perhaps ought to have. There was much more to Vader's rebellion than just protecting his son. This was about overthrowing the Emperor. Despite Lord Vader's apparent loyalty, Erv had for a long time known of Vader's resentments towards the Supreme Leader of the Galaxy. Lord Vader never let it show, had never said anything –not in front of anyone. But there had been times Erv was left alone with the Dark Lord. Times when no one else but him had been there to hear an offhand remark that had left him wondering... And now he realised that even years ago, Vader had been testing his loyalty. Testing how he would react to any messages between the lines. And Erv had found himself silently agreeing.

He had been a pawn in this game far longer than he had realised.

Erv moved on to the file about the apprentice. The boy, because he truly was a boy –a child, was codenamed Starkiller. He was only twelve years old. Same age as his Xaher was.

Erv ran his fingers through his hair. This wasn't the time to get sentimental. If Vader had trained this Starkiller, then he'd hardly be a child at heart. Any protégé of Vader's would be killer. The Force sensitive clones the Emperor had experimented with years ago would be nothing next to a real Sith apprentice.

The Sith and the Jedi of course where forbidden knowledge to most. He knew far more about the Jedi than he knew of the Sith, but he knew enough.

He had been sent here, because Vader wanted him to remove the evidence of the boy's presence. The areas marked on the floor plan were secret levels below the hull that had been removed from all the official maps. Some were Lord Vader's personal quarters. Most had been where Starkiller lived and trained. Down there he would also find his way out of this place. The operation manual and technical data of a stealth ship called _Rogue Shadow_ took a huge chunk of all the information left for him to absorb.

With no immediate need to go anywhere, Erv settled down to read. Later, he'd find himself a datapad and navigate to the hidden levels. He couldn't wait to get out of here.

* * *

Early morning training out in the inner yard before the suns got up had become part of Galen's new routine. His days were now filled with not only training and independent studying, but with school and trying to fit in with Luke's group of friends, and with tutoring Luke while still trying to improve his own skills. At least his Huttese had improved quicker within a few weeks it ever had before.

Luke's attitude hadn't changed much. He agreed to the training, but he still complained it was boring and useless. Galen tried his best to do as aunt Beru had advised, and a dash of variety did keep Luke a little more involved. He was currently far more interested in what the Force could do than he was of the katas. His face lit up each time he managed to do a new thing.

Uncle Owen had delegated the school rides for him a few days ago. The old swoop had first felt a little intimidating, but he quickly got the hang of it. Luke rode behind him, arms tightly around his waist, urging for him to go faster and giggling at each sharp turn. It was nice to know there was something they both could agree on being fun.

Galen spun the lightsabre hilt in one hand as he walked through the yard. Like every morning now, before starting with his morning exercises he turned on the generators. PROXY these days didn't take part in his mourning routines. He wasn't trying to learn anything new, just polishing old skills or practising what he was currently learning. Going through katas that just were part of the routine.

"Galen..?"

Luke's voice was barely more than a whisper. He stood near the doorway, dressed in his pyjamas and arms huddled against his chest.

"Luke", the apprentice blurted out in surprise. "How are you up this early?"

Normally Luke was the last at breakfast table on a school day. The boy didn't look at him, just played with the sand with his bare feet.

"Are you okay?" Not that Galen really cared. He was just curious and...feigning friendship.

"I just didn't want to be alone." Luke bit his lip. his eyes were cast down and he rubbed arm absentmindedly before just sitting on the ground. "Can I watch you?"

Galen's frown deepened, but he shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. "Sure."

Luke didn't say anything, so the apprentice turned away and did his best to ignore the boy. He ignited his lightsabre, and tried to see if Luke was watching. But the boy was just hugging his knees and didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular, so Galen went on. They continued like this for several minutes in silence, until Luke spoke.

"I had a nightmare."

Galen faltered only a little. An untrained eye such as Luke's wouldn't have even noticed.

"About what?" he asked, never allowing the movement of his body to stop. He wasn't even sure why he asked. The kata flowed on.

"Sand monsters", Luke replied after a moment of hesitation.

Galen huffed. "What are they?"

"Monsters. Made out of sand", Luke offered an irritated explanation. "You know. They move like dunes and snatch travellers."

"Never heard", Galen grunted, stabbing his 'sabre at an invisible foe and backflipped to safety.

"That's 'cause you're stupid", Luke muttered, drawing circles on the sand.

"Your dreams are stupid", Galen countered.

Luke pursed his lips angrily. "Oh so you _never_ have nightmares?"

Galen stopped mid-motion. He stood motionless for a second or two before relaxing his posture. He let go of his 'sabre's ignition button.

"All the time", he admitted.

"So you get scared, too?"

Galen clipped the lightsabre hilt on his belt with a sigh and crouched down in front of Luke. "Fear is a weakness. You can't let fear rule you. It's a powerful emotion and it's a powerful ally, but you should never let it affect you. You're a Sith apprentice now. You have to crush your fears. The sand monsters are just dreams. Ignore them. If you're scared of something, then face it. Face your worst fears and destroy them. Don't allow them to hurt you."

Luke licked his lips nervously. He hadn't yet talked about his nightmares to Ben, but Ben's teachings were always complete opposites to what Galen would say. "You mean I should just...what?"

"I'm saying, if you're so scared of those stupid sand monsters, you should go out in the desert or wherever you think they live and spend a night there. You would be scared, but when the morning comes and you notice you're still alive and nothing bad happened you'll be glad you did it. You can't become stronger by hiding. You need to conquer your fears. You need to constantly bring yourself to your limits and overcome them."

"That's stupid", Luke accused. And it sounded too scary, but that he would never admit to Galen. "Aunt Beru wouldn't let me."

"She'll have to if I make it part of your training. She's not a Sith, she wouldn't understand anyway. Your uncle and aunt never will, not the way we do. We have the Force."

"I'm not a Sith."

"You're going to be a Sith. PROXY and I will teach you."

"I don't wanna be a Sith", Luke complained tetchily. "I wanna be a pilot."

Galen snorted. "When you're a Sith, you can be whatever you want."

The boy huffed, but didn't argue.

"What do you dream of then?" Luke prompted after a moment to change the subject.

The apprentice stayed silent for so long Luke though he wasn't going to answer at all. He glared at Galen.

"My training, mostly", Galen confessed. It embarrassed him to admit it, but the many hours of torturous tutoring haunted him in his sleep. The dreams themselves meant nothing. They were just dreams, remnants. And the worst kind of dreams weren't even about pain. His worst nightmares were of failure.

"What kind of training..?"

"All kinds of." Galen shrugged, sitting down on the ground as well. "I was once tied up and alone in a dark room for two days. I've been experimenting with interrogation droids to be able to resist them."

"In-interro..?"

"Torture."

Luke's face fell. "Torture..? Like...like..." He couldn't come up with an example.

"Needles poked at you, being injected with drugs that make you feel like you're on fire. Stuff like that."

"Why? Why would anyone do that?"

"In real life –to get information from an enemy who refuses to tell you otherwise", the apprentice explained. "In training –because I want to make myself stronger. I want to know what I can take. I need to test my limits to get better."

"That's mad. Why would you do that to yourself?"

"Because I'm a Sith", Galen said firmly. "I need to be able to take it. And it's all made me stronger. You'll understand someday."

"No. I won't do that. I'll never do that."

Galen shrugged as he stood up. "You'll change your mind. Once you start to understand the power of the Dark Side, you'll want to start testing your limits, too."

He didn't stay to allow Luke to answer. The boy's ignorance and unwillingness to even try to understand the Dark Side irritated him. Luke didn't deserve a father like Master Vader. Once he'd find a safe, remote location for proper lightsabre training (aunt Beru had said she didn't like him sparring with PROXY on the yard, because no one else could be there at the same time), he'd definitely take Luke out for an overnight training session.

Galen felt Luke's presence behind him, could feel the boy's eyes follow his every move as he reignited his lightsabre and carried on with the katas far more complex Luke couldn't even dream of trying for several years. Luke might be a quick learner, but no one would learn that fast. Galen didn't even remember life before his training. Luke would have lot of catching up to do, no matter how good he might prove himself.

* * *

It took Galen several afternoons of careful scouting before he found a location that seemed perfect for training. Remote and far from any inhabited areas with plenty of rock formation that the lightsabres couldn't be seen from afar. It was a strange labyrinth of small canyons and high terrain, absolutely perfect for him and PROXY to play deadly hide and seek. It took about an hour to get there on the swoop from the homestead, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He could probably sometimes go there straight from Anchorhead with Luke, which would cut about fifteen minutes from the journey.

Even though he now had a place to train, he still couldn't go every day. He still had a lot of catching up to do in school, so aunt Beru wouldn't let him go with PROXY before he had finished with his homework. Often it felt pointless to make the one hour journey when he still needed to train Luke and he was wanted back by bedtime. Aunt Beru was worried about Tusken Raiders, whatever those were. He still hadn't asked anyone.

Galen loved riding the swoop when the suns were setting and the air would finally slowly begin to cool down. Out on the desert he could accelerate as much as he dared and there were no obstacles whatsoever for kilometres. Only when the farm's southmost vaporators came into view did he have to slow down. Some nights Uncle Owen was still out when he returned, but tonight Galen didn't see him.

It was almost pitch black by the time he started to approach home. Tonight, though, home looked different from what it usually did. Larger. As he got closer, he realised he wasn't looking at the hut that led down into the yard, but a spaceship nearly a hundred metres from the hut.

"Is that–? It is! PROXY! PROXY, look! It's _Rogue Shadow_!"

All its light were down and the ramp was closed, so Galen drove past it, parked the swoop carelessly by the wall and ran down the stairs, trusting PROXY would follow. The lights on the yard lit automatically as he ran through it to the dining area where his new family was already gathered.

"Aunt Beru! Uncle Owen!" he called, then came to a sudden halt as his senses registered the fourth presence of an unfamiliar man.

"There you are!" Beru greeted. "We've been waiting for you. Go wash your hands and get changed. I'll set your meal."

"But..." His eyes met with the stranger. The man regarded him silently, then nodded a greeting. Then he turned to Luke who sat next to him, tugging at his sleeve.

"Galen", Beru called. "I'm not going to ask you again."

Galen spared one more look at the man, horribly scarred on his face, before leaving to do as requested. When he returned, he was dressed not in the new Tatooinean clothes, but in his best clothes he had that resembled a Sith attire the most. He had even kept the lightsabre hilt on his belt.

"Hello, Starkiller", the stranger greeted. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Lord Vader talked about me?" Galen startled, momentarily forgetting everything about seeming as Sith-like as possible.

"Alas no, not much. He wrote a lengthy report about you. Very interesting reading, though highly confidential, I'm afraid. But I must say I'm very impressed. It's an honour to meet you, Starkiller. I'm Lieutenant Lekauf. I served as Lord Vader's aide for several years."

As Beru served the meal and they began eating, Lieutenant Lekauf explained them his mission so far from his meeting with Lord Vader to him arriving here on the _Rogue Shadow_.

"I've been studying the maps of this area. The _Rogue Shadow_ can't be kept here. Since I'll be staying, I was thinking of some of the nearby settlements. Anchorhead seems too small and perhaps a little too close."

Lekauf turned to Owen. "I trust you know the area better. I need to rent, or ideally, buy a space to keep the ship and find a place to settle to."

"Mos Eisley comes to my mind first. The Imperial presence there is small and it's the spaceport is the busiest on the planet. People there are used to all sorts and ask little questions. Mos Espa further to north-east has even less Imperials. Local gangster's got his city house there."

The Lieutenant nodded. "I shall look into that. Perhaps you might even accompany me?"

"I guess that can be arranged", Owen grunted.

"Excellent. I would also like to meet with the boys on regular basis. Lord Vader wishes for me to report on their progress. I understand you and your droid are training Luke?" he asked, directing his question at Galen.

"Yes, sir. I'm doing my best."

"I'm sure you will", Lekauf said with a hint of a smile. "I have all your things I could find aboard _Rogue Shadow_. I'll return them to you later."

The night went on. Lekauf was very interested in Tatooine in general. It was evident he had already familiarised himself with the planet on his way, but he still had many questions of the local customs and lifestyle. He stayed for the night. He had argued he could sleep on _Rogue Shadow_ , an idea Galen wasn't too happy with, although he didn't say anything. But Beru refused to hear his arguments and set him a bed in the living room.

For Galen it felt incredible to see his ship again. A part of him had feared he had lost it forever. Luke was impressed with it and kept pestering him with technical details he had no idea of. Lekauf, however, evidently had familiarised himself with the ship as well, and as soon as Luke realised the man knew far more about it than Galen did, he moved on to asking him. The Lieutenant seemed only too happy to provide the boy with the answers.

Galen didn't feel like going through his possessions. Most of it were things he had forgotten about a long time ago. Clothes too small or torn. Datadiscs he had gone through years ago. Even the one he broke and never got the chance to apologise for. He stashed them all in a drawer in his room to go through later.

The next morning Lekauf was already up when arrived to the yard for his morning training.

"Morning, Starkiller."

"Good morning, sir."

The man smiled. "You can call me Erv. Luke already does."

"You're Lord Vader's aide. I'd rather keep things professional", Galen said, keying the door code for the garage.

"I'm no longer an aide. My rank is Lieutenant, but I'm probably not even that anymore. I'm not in the Empire anymore. But you may call me that if you wish."

Galen nodded. "Sounds good."

It was refreshing to be spoken to and treated like an adult. Lord Vader had never treated him as a child, and he hadn't even realised how much he missed that or how much it had made him feel like a child to be treated like one. But he wasn't a child. He was a Sith. He could never be a child the way Luke and his friends were. And he was glad Lekauf could recognise that.

"Would it be alright if I stayed and watched you?" Lekauf asked once Galen had  returned from the garage. "Mrs Lars said you train in the mornings. I won't pretend I understand much of it, but I've seen Lord Vader and I've worked as a combat instructor myself."

"Go ahead, Lieutenant. Just stay out of the way."

Lekauf chuckled. "Oh, I know that from experience."

Galen blinked at him, then noticed the scars again. Not that they were hard to miss. They covered half of the man's face and continued down his neck. Had Lord Vader..?

The man laughed dryly, guessing the course of his thoughts. "No, no. I didn't get these scars by interrupting Lord Vader's training. This is something that was tried to be done to him."

"You...protected him?"

"I did. He said I was too loyal and called me foolish later on."

"I would have tried protecting him, too."

The Lieutenant looked at him amusedly. "He'd have called you a fool, too."

Galen shrugged. "He's my Master."

He would have given his life to protect Lord Vader. And he had a feeling this man would have done the same. Evidently nearly had done it.

"And he's my commanding officer", Lekauf agreed.

Lekauf stood silently, hands clasped behind his back as Galen went through his morning training. He stayed at the homestead for several days, looking for accommodation and a place for _Rogue Shadow_. The latter proved to be a much harder task, and the ship had to temporarily be hidden in the desert. While it was rare for anyone but a family member to come here, the ship still would have attracted unwanted attention and questions had it been seen. Eventually Erv was able to buy an old spaceship hangar from the outskirts of Mos Eisley. His own residence was closer to the city centre.

Luke especially had taken liking to the Lieutenant. He would have much rather followed around the man than practised with Galen or PROXY. Although it did temporarily make him more into it when Lekauf stayed to watch.

Among his possessions, once Galen had actually gone through them, was his old training lightsabre. The hilt felt small, light and unfamiliar in his hands. He hadn't built it himself and he didn't know if Vader had built it or found it somewhere. The apprentice hadn't used it for long. As soon as he had more or less stopped accidentally slicing himself, Vader had got him a real lightsabre. Soon after he had been ordered to built his own.

Galen passed on the training lightsabre to Luke and the boy was over the moon.

"Stop that. It's not a toy", Galen complained when he once again caught Luke waving the yellow 'sabre around in obscure patterns and mimicking the humming sound a real lightsabre made.

"You're so boring", Luke moaned in protest, but obeyed. School was over for the week and they had come straight to Galen's training location. It was the first time he had brought Luke with him. On their way they had come across a swoop gang. Luke had said they were dangerous and could rob and kill them, but Galen reckoned he could easily defeat them if it came to that. Luke was, however, right about their intentions. Galen could feel their thoughts. Two children certainly seemed like a an easy prey. He could have killed them all, but he wasn't supposed to attract attention. And time was limited, so he only told them to leave and ignore them.

"How did–? The Force. You did something."

"The Force is a powerful tool, I've told you. You can easily make a common mind do your bidding."

Throughout the afternoon, in the shadows of the rocks, he taught Luke the most basic defence and offence against a lighsabre wielding opponent. They headed back early. Some of the last and most violent storms of the season were said to hit the area that night. On their way they encountered the gang again. Although this time the swoops lay on the sand and their riders next to them.

Dead.

"What happened to them?" Galen wondered, stopping the swoop entirely. The sand under the bodies was soaked in blood. Walking  around he realised that not all of the riders were there. At least two swoops lay without a rider, and now that he thought of it, some of the gang members had had someone sitting behind them.

"Galen, we should go", Luke called nervously from the swoop. "They ran into Sand People. You can tell from the bullet wounds. And the smell. You smell that? Bantha poo."

"Everyone keeps talking about them", Galen muttered, leaning to get a closer look of a dead Rodian. He knew Luke couldn't hear him and he didn't care. He wanted to know if these Sand People or Tusken Raiders truly were as terrifying as everyone said. Judging by the wounds and markings on the bikes, their aim was terrible, but they had a lot of ammunition. He could handle that.

"Galen", Luke pleaded. "Come on, let's go!"

The apprentice stood up to look at him. "Are you–" _afraid of them?_ he meant to say. Only the end of his sentence was drowned by a loud bang and Luke's distressed scream.


	16. XII

Galen's instincts kicked in instantly. The shot flew harmlessly past his head. He had his lightsaber ignited and ready in defence position before the next shot came.

"Luke! Shut the repulsors! Hide behind the swoop", he instructed as he frantically tried to see where the shooters were. Another loud shot was fired, followed by sounds that may have been laughter or cheering. There. Up and behind the rock formations. Their aim truly was terrible. None of the shots fired so far had come near enough for Galen to even move his 'sabre to block them. He reached out with the Force. Five. No, seven. Ten. Thirteen at least. And they were moving towards them.

"Stay in cover", he called again. He risked a look over his shoulder. The swoop sat on the sand, and he saw Luke peeping behind it. He backtracked closer and jumped behind the swoop as well.

"Keep your head down", he hissed at Luke. "I'll take care of this."

"We should run! Those are sand people. They're gonna kill us!" Luke cried in distress.

"No one's gonna kill you", Galen assured, taking a look towards the rocks. He could count four...things dressed in sand coloured rags. Nothing underneath them was visible, so he couldn't tell if they were Humans or something else. Humanoids at least. Several shots were fired, so he lowered his head again.

"Listen, I've been meaning to ask... What exactly _are_ the Tusken Raiders?"

"Natives. They're dangerous and they're gonna _kill us_ ", Luke repeated.

Galen shook his head amusedly. "Really?"

Sure the natives could look a bit intimidating, but surely they couldn't be as dangerous as Luke made them seem to be. They looked positively primitive.

Luke seemed to think his skepticism was legit, though for the wrong reasons. He hurried to say: "Well, _obviously_ not kill us right away. First they mug us, kidnap us, torture us and then they _might_ kill us. If they're feeling merciful. Which they aren't."

"Good. Because I'm not going to show any mercy, either", Starkiller smirked. He welcomed the cold darkness that seeped into him as he reached deep into the Force. It had been far too long since he had been fighting for his life. He somersaulted over the swoop into the open ground between them and their attackers.

"Galen, don't!" he heard Luke yell. "Wait! Those are not blasters! They've got bullets!"

"Bullets?" Galen repeated confusedly, when the gunfire suddenly rang in the air again. Because now he realised that that was what it was. The Force moved him quicker than his conscious mind realised. His red blade rose in defence and parried a bullet. It felt like trying to parry a rock with a lightsabre. A very, very fast rock.

The impact was far stronger than a blaster bolts, but the bullets deflected half molten, losing almost all of their kinetic energy as they hit the 'sabre.

"Stay back!" he reminded Luke.

"What about you?!"

"I'll kill them."

"No! There's too many of them! They slaughtered the swoop gang!"

"Well, I'm not a swoop gang", Starkiller muttered under his breath. "Stay in cover!"

Starkiller lunged at the nearest Tusken. His lightsaber cut through the weapon the being held and then beheaded the alien. The body sunk on the sand, but instead of striking fear in the rest of the warriors, it enraged them.

It didn't matter. The angrier they got, the stronger he felt the dark side. He pulled the weapons out of the sand people's hands, gutted the ones who came too close and somersaulted for his next kill. His black robe spread like dark wings around him. He stabbed and slashed with his 'saber blurringly fast, yet to him, it all seemed like in slow motion. He saw the Tusken trying to crush his skull with the staff, but he had plenty of time to move out of the way, kill the Tusken behind him and then stab at the attacker.

The natives were no match to him. He needed only reach a little to hurl two of the Raiders several meters back. When they got back on their feet, the other one was cut in two by the lightsabre Starkiller had thrown at him. The other one futilely tried to breathe in the Sith apprentice's choke hold. They were all dead in less than ten minutes.

Starkiller stood silently surrounded by the corpses. Lightsabre still ignited in his hand he looked around to make sure there were no others. Shame. He almost wished he could track where they had come from, so that he could have some more fun. But the only living being worth noticing was Luke. The weak, fearful and useless Luke.

He gripped the hilt. How easy it would be to kill him. No one would have to know. These creatures had attacked them. He had done his best, but there were too many of them. Luke had foolishly ran into open space and been shot in the back. One missed bullet would have been enough. There would've been nothing Starkiller could have done. It wouldn't be his fault. He would have done his best. He would've done everything he could. Lord Vader would be angry, but he would understand.

He marched to the swoop, towards the living presence he felt. Luke huddled behind it, his entire tiny frame trembling. He had pressed his face against his knees and covered his ears. But he must have sensed Starkiller's presence, for he lifted his head to look up at him.

Tears trailed down from his eyes and he sobbed miserably. "Galen..."

Every murderous intention melted away and Galen dropped on his knees next to the boy. His thumb let go of the ignition button and he let the hilt fall on the sand.

"Luke? What's wrong, are you hurt? Are you hurt? Luke! Tell me! Where did they hit you?"

But Luke only cried in response. Galen grabbed him and tried to locate the wound, but the boy didn't appear to have any.

"Luke, what's wrong?" He was starting to feel panicky. Something was wrong, very wrong. He could feel it, but he couldn't find what it was.

"Luke", he pleaded helplessly. "Tell me what's wrong. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."

"I thought we were gonna die", Luke managed between the sobs.

Galen frowned. "No, I told you. I said I'd take care of them."

"I was so scared..! I saw them. I–I saw what you did to them. I–I..." The boy burst into tears again.

"It's over now."

"I know!" Luke replied frustratedly, but didn't calm down. He wiped off the tears angrily, but more kept coming.

Galen didn't know what to do. Had he ever been like this? Surely not. But no... He remembered –vaguely, but he remembered. He reached out to rest his hand on Luke's shoulder like PROXY had done to him. When Luke didn't pull away he moved closer and wrapped his arm around the boy. Luke leant into him, sobbing against his chest and Galen awkwardly positioned his arms around him. He rested his chin against the boy's head and fixed his eyes to the red horizon.

* * *

 

Tatoo I disappeared below the ridges by the time Luke pulled away awkwardly. He was embarrassed and tried to wipe his face in secrecy. Galen said nothing. It didn't feel right to lecture about overcoming weaknesses. Not now.

"We should go home", he said, clipping the lightsabre hilt back on his belt.

"Yeah", Luke agreed quietly. "Thanks for saving us."

Galen didn't reply. Luke wasn't even sure he'd heard him. They got on the swoop in silence. Neither felt like doing tricks this time.

"I've never seen clouds like that", Galen commented after a while.

"What?"

"I've never seen clouds like that!" he repeated, yelling over the engine noise and pointing at the horizon. He felt Luke lean to the side behind him to see. Galen slowed down to hear him better.

"Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh? What do you mean uh-oh?"

"Those are not clouds. That's a sandstorm."

"It looks like it's coming towards us."

"We might not make it back in time", Luke said worriedly. "We need to find shelter or we'll die."

Galen bit his lip. Luke was probably right. The wind was getting stronger and out of the two of them, Luke was the expert when it came to the sandstorms. He stopped the swoop.

"What kind of a shelter?" he wanted to know, turning to look at the boy. "We could maybe make something with the cloaks."

Luke stared at him as if he were mad.

"What? I didn't hear you come up with anything."

"Have you any idea how strong the wind is gonna be?" Luke asked. "They say the winds can be strong enough to carve the flesh out of your bones! We need at least some kind of a big rock between us and the wind. A cave is the safest place to go."

"Are there any caves around here?"

"How would I know!"

"You've lived here!"

The boys regarded the storm. It seemed to grow in size as it came closer.

"Well in any case, we can't stay here", Galen said, restarting the engines. But it would still take at least twenty or twenty-five minutes to get back to the homestead. "How about the rocks where the Tuskens attacked us? It's closer. Do you think we could find shelter there?"

Luke hesitated. "Maybe. The storm might be here in ten minutes."

Ten minutes. That was just enough time to get them back to the rocks. Galen revved the engines and turned the swoop around.

"Comm uncle Owen. Tell him we're finding a shelter", he instructed Luke.

"I'll try, but the storm usually disturbs the signals."

And right he was. He could only hear static from the other end. They could only hope that perhaps Owen heard Luke. The wind blew violently behind them when they reached the edges of the rock formations. Galen drove closer and into the canyons.

"The winds get really strong here during the storms", Luke warned him. "The wind gets trapped in the canyons."

"Just try to look for that shelter", Galen replied tensely. He had to drive slow enough for them to spot the potential shelter, but the howling wind made him want to go as fast as he could. This wasn't working.

"What are you doing?" Luke cried when he suddenly killed the engines.

"We won't find anything like this", he said, closing his eyes. He reached out with the Force, trying to feel the shapes of the canyon around them. Trying to locate any larger holes in the rock. Luke caught up with what he was doing, and Galen could feel Luke's presence join him in the search. The boy shone bright like a beacon, his awareness spread far and crystal clear into the canyon.

"I found something", Luke gasped. "It's like...I can feel the air disappear into the rock."

"Where?"

"A bit further." Luke pointed up the canyon wall further away. "Somewhere in there."

The boy followed his own finger, only now realising how far up it was. "Oh. I guess there's no way we'll get there."

Galen looked up as well. Luke was right. There was some kind of cave up there. It was their best option so far. He drove the swoop closer, hopped down and readied himself for the jump.

Luke looked defeated. "It's too high."

"Don't be so sure."

"You're gonna jump there?"

Galen bent his knees, curling and uncurling in fists. "Uh-huh."

"But how am I gonna get there?"

"Right." Galen hadn't thought of that. He supposed he could try and just levitate Luke up, but he couldn't even levitate himself there. Luke might drop and die. "What's in the desert survival kit, or whatever?"

They had something called that attached to the swoop. Both Owen and Beru had made it very clear to him it needed to be with the swoop all the time.

"Emergency flares, a glow-rod, a blanket, some ration bars, water, mini-vaporator, cable, portable shelter and tools", Luke listed from memory.

"The shelter's for the suns", he clarified.

Galen thought of his plan, then held his hand at Luke: "Hand me the cable. I'll jump and help you climb up."

Luke didn't seem entirely convinced, but hurried to fulfil the request. Galen grabbed it and jumped. He didn't get even near. He got a very temporary footing from the uneven wall, but his jump from there failed. The wind was so strong it altered his course and the opening was left several metres to his right. The wind got caught in his black robe, so he removed it. His second attempt was better. He knew to account for the wind, but he still only barely managed to reach. He hung at the edge with his left arm and right fingers holding on, but slipped. He scarcely had enough time to land safely.

"Well, at least the cable's up there now..." he muttered. He'd been holding it in his left hand, and he had had to let go when it became evident he wasn't going to just land there on his feet.

"Great", Luke muttered.

"I'll make it this time", he promised. And right he was. This time he managed to get both of his arms over the edge and pull himself up. For a moment he was scared they'd been wrong. The ledge did provide some shelter, but it wasn't that big. But then he realised that there was a crack in the wall, large enough for an average Human to get through. Even Lord Vader would have easily passed further into the cave if he'd been ready to crawl.

Luke waited him down, but there was already so much sand in the air it was hard to make out his shape. He undid the cable and let the other end fall down. The wind trashed it violently against the rock.

After a minute or two he felt Luke tugging the cable. Galen could only hope the boy would have enough strength to hold on as he started pulling. It was hard even with the Force. The storm tried to constantly smash Luke against the wall and Galen needed to soften those blows. Poor Luke was pale and tense when Galen finally hoisted him over with the Force. He had Galen's robe tied around his waist and the survival kit was tied to it.

They crawled through the crack and found themselves in a vast, near pitch-black cave. The opening curved in and let very little light inside. Not that there'd be any light soon when Tattoo II would set as well. Galen ignited his lightsabre to provide them with some until Luke got the glow-rod out. The brighter light told them what they already knew. They were in a large, but low cave. An adult could not have stood up straight and even Galen had to lower his head a little.

They walked in a bit further, away from opening where a little wind and sand got in. The shape of it caused the air to whistle eerily. The ground was uneven rock, as was the ceiling. They had to constantly watch their steps. Other than the wind it was silent. The air was dry and cool, almost cold.

Luke sat down and laid the glow-rod next to him. He undid the robe around his waist and handed it back to Galen, who accepted it silently.

"Aunt Beru and uncle Owen must be really worried."

"It can't be helped", Galen sighed, sitting down as well. "How long do these storms usually go on?"

There had been a few storms since he'd arrived, but they had been during the night and he hadn't paid much attention to them.

"Couple of hours at least."

"We might as well camp here until morning then."

"The swoop might be useless when we get out of here."

"I'm not going to worry about that now", Galen huffed, lying down on his back. Luke shuffled with the survival kit and pulled out a folded, thin blanket and wrapped it around himself. Galen had seen similar ones on spaceships. Then Luke lay down as well, but didn't stay put for long. After a while of silence, the boy took the glow-rod and waved the light across the ceiling.

"There's something in there", he said after a few minutes. "Galen, look!"

"I don't see anything special."

Luke got up and took the light with him. "Here, here! Look, I told you there's something!"

Galen sighed, but got up as well and followed to see what Luke was suddenly so excited about. "What?"

"See? Here."

What he had thought was just a regular rock, was actually a wall covered in reddish paint, and on it were scribbles in white and black.

"Do you think the Tuskens made these?" Luke asked.

"You know more about the Tuskens than I do."

Luke shook his head. "I don't know anything about them. Just that they can kill you."

Galen looked closer, but the markings made little sense to him.

"I think that's Tatoo I and Tatoo II", Luke informed him after staring at the scribbles carefully. Galen had already got bored of the painting and returned to his earlier post. "And these other things are stars. Maybe. This one looks like the Great Bantha."

"Great Bantha?"

"It's a constellation."

"Doesn't sound like anything from the Galactic map."

"It's not. It's a local thing. Look, there are people walking with them."

Galen made a sound to acknowledge he'd heard, but didn't say anything further. Luke walked around the cave for nearly half an hour, inspecting the walls and ceiling. The light from the glow-rod disappeared completely for a while, but Galen didn't care. There was nothing in this cave save for them and some small lizards. Eventually, with an exaggerated sigh, Luke returned and sat down nearby.

"Is it always like that?" he asked quietly. When Galen said nothing he elaborated: "Being a Sith. Is it like that? Like when you killed the Tuskens? Is that what you do?"

"I do other stuff, too. But assassinations are what I do most", Galen admitted.

"Is that what the Sith do? Kill?"

Galen narrowed his eyes. "I killed those Tuskens, because if I didn't, they would've killed us."

"What about a Jedi?" Luke wanted to know. "What would a Jedi had done?"

"Why do you ask about the Jedi?"

Luke shrugged. "I've heard you and my dad and people talk about them."

Galen accepted his explanation. "A Jedi would've escaped. A Jedi would've fought, but let them live."

"Isn't that better?"

"Let them live so that they could've eventually killed someone else? How is that any better?"

"I guess it isn't", Luke said silently. "It's just... I've never seen anyone killing. Or getting killed."

Galen didn't know what to say. Kill or be killed had been part of his life for as long as he could remember. Excel at everything you do or be killed. But he supposed it made sense for Luke to have never been exposed to death the way he had.

"Does it scare you?" he asked.

Luke bit his lip. For a moment Galen thought he would deny his fear, but then the boy nodded. "Is it bad?"

Galen shook his head. "It's healthy to have fear. But you have to control it."

"I don't want to kill anyone."

"One day you'll have to. Or they'll kill you."

"What if I just stay here for the rest of my life?"

"You can't. You're Master Vader's son. Once I kill the Emperor, he'll rule the Galaxy. You'll be a prince."

Luke hung his head. "I always wanted to know my dad. I didn't want to believe he was dead."

"That's because you _knew_. The Force was telling you the truth", Galen said as if it were obvious. Luke must have known.

The boy shrugged it off. "Doesn't matter. He's not what I thought."

_He's not what I wanted._

The boy fell silent, trembling ever so slightly as Galen watched him. Luke's fingers curled around his arms. "I always imagined he was some kind of a hero. Stupid, I know."

"But your father is a hero."

"A hero to who, exactly?!" Luke snapped. "He's a killer. My father's a _killer_. Half the Galaxy is afraid of him."

 _The Galaxy should be afraid of him_ , Galen thought. But he didn't think Luke would have appreciated it. "He's a hero to the Empire."

Luke shook his head. He sat quietly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. The apprentice eyed the boy in silence, and for a long while neither of them talked. The wind's howls echoed around them.

What would have Darth Vader thought, had he seen his son now, Starkiller wondered, biting his teeth so hard it hurt. He would have been dead a long time ago, had he behaved like that. Pathetic. Master Vader didn't need a son as miserable as Luke. Luke didn't deserve a father like Lord Vader.

"You're right, you know", Luke blurted out suddenly. "I _don't_ know anything. I don't know _anything_ about my father." He gave a pitiful laugh. "I've met him _once_!"

Starkiller was about to agree, but Luke wasn't finished yet. He drew a staggering breath and straightened his back. "I'm sorry, Galen."

"Sorry for what?", Galen asked, so startled and taken aback by the words he momentarily forgot of his resentment towards the boy.

Luke bit his lip. "For being so mean. For not listening. But I was...jealous of you", he admitted barely audibly. "Because you know so many things. You've been to so many places. You know about the Force and you can fight. I wish I knew how to do that stuff, but I'll _never_ be as good as you are. ...and you know more about my dad than I do."

The confession left the young Sith apprentice utterly speechless for several seconds. "I–" he started, but quickly closed his mouth. He felt… He didn't quite know what he felt.

Ashamed. Guilty. Disgraced. He found he could not look at the boy. Luke, of all the people, was apologising to him. He should have felt triumphant. Anything but this.

Luke looked at him, waiting for him to say something, but words failed him. For the first time he truly felt like he saw Luke. He had thought Luke must have hated him, but he had been so wrong. What he had mistaken for childish hatred towards him wasn't just jealousy. Behind it was...admiration. And confusion. So, so much confusion and disappointment that manifested as anger.

When it became evident the apprentice wouldn't say anything, Luke shifted nervously.

"So I... I wanna learn about the Force. It's just..." He drew a breath and caught Galen's eyes. "Do you know how I could get rid of a ghost?"

"A ghost?" Galen blurted out in surprise.

"There's one that keeps stalking me."

"Ghosts aren't real. It's just one of your dreams again."

"It's not", Luke argued. "He's a Jedi. He says he's Ben. Obi-Wan, I mean."

"Kenobi? It can't be. My Master killed him."

"I know. That's why he's a ghost."

"But– Ghosts aren't real", Galen repeated.

"I thought it was a holo at first, too", Luke explained. "But I searched my room. It's not a holo. He's really there. I know I don't know much about the Force, but I sort of...feel him. He talks to me. And tries to teach me."

Galen's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Teach you?"

The boy nodded, but he looked ashamed. "I let him. I didn't mean to. I don't trust him, but I was mad at you. So I listened to him and...it worked. So I kept listening and he keeps coming back. But I don't like him. I don't like the things he says. He says you're evil. And that my father is dead, because Vader's not him. He talks about you and my dad like you are monsters. He says my real father changed into Vader and that Vader will just use me."

"That's not true", Galen said angrily.

"But he just left! He said he thought I was dead and then he just left. What am I supposed to think of that?"

"He's protecting you."

"Ben says he doesn't care about me."

"What would Obi-Wan know about Lord Vader?" Galen snapped. "What would any Jedi know? The Jedi betrayed him. I've never seen Lord Vader care more about anything than he cares about you. And I–"

Galen cut himself off. His shoulders slumped and he had to force the words out of his mouth. It suddenly felt like he had swallowed a bucketful of sand. "I was jealous. Too."

Luke's head popped up and he looked at him like he wasn't sure he'd heard him correctly. "Of me? Why..?"

Now it was Galen's turn to bite his lip.

"I'm nobody", Luke argued. "I don't know anything about the Force or the Sith. I've lived here all my life. I've never done _anything_ exciting! Why would you be jealous?"

The apprentice turned away, pulling the hood over his head. His voice was barely a choked whisper: "But he's your father."

His confession completely shut Luke up. He stared at the older boy in disbelief.

From the beginning, Galen had held a cold sabacc face, never letting it betray what was on his mind. Fixer, Biggs and Tank were always sure of themselves, always confident. Yet their confidence paled compared to the confidence that radiated from Galen.

He always held his head up and carried himself confidently, his mere aura told those around him not to mess with him.

The boy sitting opposite to him right now seemed like a completely different person. He sat there with his shoulders down, refusing to face Luke, almost blending into the shadows with his black robe.

"We should switch", Luke giggled abruptly. "You could be the son and I'd get to explore the galaxy, defeating the bad guys."

He waved the glow-rod and mimicked the lightsabre's hum. Then he saw the shocked look on Galen's face and giggled again. He stood up and shone the light on the stars on the wall.

"I wanna be there", he said. "Tank says I should stop skywalking, to get real… But I don't want to walk the sky. I wanna walk the stars."

Galen looked at wall and thought of figures among the painted stars. "You will. If you let me and PROXY teach you, you will."

Luke turned to him with a faint smile on his lips.

"Okay."

* * *

 When the boys emerged from the cave, the suns were just getting up. The only signs of the storm where the dunes of sand piled up by any obstacles in their path.

The swoop's engines turned on after the twenty-eight try, but wouldn't accelerate for more than 10 kilometres an hour. Luke said it was because the sand had got inside. The handlebars were stiff and steering was difficult. But it turned out they didn't need to get all the way home. Tank's father found them. The entire community west to Anchorhead had been looking for them (or their bodies) since the early morning. Mr Sunber gave them water and towed their swoop back to the Lars homestead. Other searchers had been alerted and many of them had already returned.

Aunt Beru ran to them and threw them both into a fierce hug. "Thank the stars you're safe!"

"Lemme go", Luke protested and tried to wiggle himself free. Galen stood awkwardly, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"This is the part where you hug back", Beru whispered, letting Luke go. Galen wrapped his arms around her uncertainly, then a little firmer when Beru pulled him closer.

"Never scare us like that again."

"I'm sorry, aunt Beru."

She shook her head against his shoulder. "You don't have to be sorry."

She let go and her hug was replaced by Owen's hand on his shoulder. "Good to have you home in one piece, son."

Owen had received Luke's call, but he hadn't been able to make much of what the boy had been saying. It had still given him and Beru hope that they were in shelter. Galen realised that neither of the adults had slept the previous night. They had started arranging the search party the second the storm was passing in the early morning.

More people arrived and soon the yard was full of them. Galen and Luke explained they ran into Tuskens and had to take a detour, which led them into not being able to make it to the homestead in time. Later, when the suns were down at the last guest had left, they told them the un-cut version.

Owen and Beru had told Galen had taken Luke on a swoop ride. Being one the most popular things the youth around here did, no one found it strange. Everyone here had done it ever since their feet had reached the pedals. When they heard of the Tuskens, they were quick to praise Galen for avoiding them and keeping his brother safe. It seemed like everyone around here had already accepted him as a permanent part of the Lars family, but they were immensely curious to meet him and share stories with him.

Beru, with the help of some of her friends, started preparing lunch for the search party. When people went missing here, everyone was prepared to either celebrate or mourn, so they all became prepared to share something at the table. Word of them being found spread and by the afternoon it felt like the entire scarce population of the Great Chott Salt Flat region was gathered at their home. For Galen it was overwhelming.

"Galen! Galen!" Biggs beckoned him to join the group of kids.

"Luke says you know some prime fight moves."

"Show us some", Windy prompted.

Galen blinked at them, then grabbed Luke by shoulder and hauled him away from the group. "What did you tell them?" he hissed.

"Relax, I didn't say anything about the Sith stuff", Luke whispered. "It's a secret, I get it. I just said you know some self-defence moves like they do on Galactic Heroes."

"What heroes?"

Luke let an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. "Only the best holo drama on the Outer Rim? Come on, you don't want them to think I'm a liar, do you?" He dragged the older boy back to the others.

"Bet you can't beat Tank", Fixer dared him.

"Oh yeah? I think I can."

"You can try!" Tank boasted. With no warning, he lunged at him, attempting to tackle him down. Galen grabbed his arm and flipped him on his back on the ground.

The kids cheered in unison.

Galen offered his hand to help the boy up. "You were saying?"

"That was awesome!" Tank beamed. "You've gotta show me how to do that!"

"Now do me!" Camie demanded.

"Careful kids, don't hurt yourselves", one of the adults called, but no one stopped them from continuing.

"Ultra Stardust Kick!" Camie yelled, mimicking the holo moves and got herself flung on the ground as well.

"That kind of a kick is completely useless" Galen remarked over her giggles and helped her up. "You aren't really directing any energy to the opponent and you're leaving yourself unguarded. Your stance was way too wide. Here..."

By lunchtime, Galen had earned himself the title of Grand Star Hero. Apparently it had something to do with the drama they liked. As unexpectedly fun as it had been, he sighed in relief after managing to retreat into the solitude of his room for a while.

"Master! I'm glad to see you alive. I feared I might not be able to kill you myself", PROXY greeted him.

"You won't be killing me any time soon, if we'll stay here", the apprentice chuckled.

"Yes, but my programming only prevents me from killing you here. Lieutenant Lekauf contacted me a while ago. Lord Vader has a mission for you."

"Why didn't you let me know earlier? Where? When do I leave? I'll be ready in five minutes!"

"You looked busy, and Lieutenant said it could wait. He'd like to see you tomorrow."

"Did he say anything else?"

"No, he said he'd rather see you in person. But he told you to pack warm. Oh, master! It'll be just like the old times. I promise I'll kill you this time."

Galen shook his head barely noticeably. No. It wouldn't be like the old times, he thought. It would never be the same. Close, but not the same.

But instead of uneasy knots in his stomach he expected to feel, warmth washed over him. Perhaps not the same, but he realised it didn't matter. This time he had a home to return to. A real home. And maybe he and Luke would still occasionally fight, and they still needed to overcome some of their differences, but after last night he knew it could happen. He knew they could co-exist.

His eyes lit up in anticipation and he grinned at the droid.

"You're on, PROXY."

**END OF PART ONE**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this final chapter of part one. But fear not, this isn't the end! Again, thank you for reading and please let me know what you think if you can spare a moment. :)


	17. EPILOGUE I - Luke Lars

The night wrapped the desert in darkness and cold moonlight. Silence had fallen on the courtyard that had been filled with joyous chatter only hours earlier. The house prepared for sleep.

Beru knocked on the door before entering. Luke had orchestrated himself more floorspace by piling up all the clothes and toys that had cluttered the floor next to the wall between his bedside table and wardrobe. In his pyjamas, the boy went through the katas Galen had desperately tried to make him memorise.

"Bedtime, _peedunkee_ ", Beru called amusedly, reaching to dim the lights.

"But I'm not done yet!" Luke protested, tripping on his own feet as he tried to turn around swiftly like Galen had shown him.

"You can continue in the morning. Come on, bed. You've got school in the morning."

Luke muttered something that might have been "fine" and climbed into his bed more or less willingly.

"You seem to be getting better along with Galen today", Beru remarked as she tucked Luke in. "Did you talk with him?"

The boy bit his lip embarrassedly, but nodded. "Yeah."

She nodded approvingly and sat on the edge of the bed, assuming a more serious look. "Did you apologise to him?"

Luke seemed to sink into his bed and discreetly pulled the duvet closer to his face. "Uh-huh."

"Thank you, Luke. I knew you could make up with him." She smiled gently down at him, and combed his hair back with her fingers. "I'm not happy you got caught in the storm and were attacked, but I'm glad you were able to sort things out. I knew you could do it."

"He was pretty cool", Luke confessed. "You should have seen him, it was amazing!"

"I want to learn to do what he does", he continued, newfound excitement on his face. "He could make the swoop gang leave us alone with just telling them to ignore us. He fought the Tuskens alone and _he won_. He jumped higher than a ronto's head! I want to do that, too."

"Then you'll need to start listening to your brother. Galen really wants to teach you."

She truly did think so. Galen had lived alone with PROXY for so long that being responsible for someone else than himself overwhelmed him momentarily, but ultimately he was good brother material. And he had absolutely proved himself to Beru by protecting Luke from the sandpeople.

"I want to learn", Luke repeated. "But...I'm kinda scared, too."

Beru frowned worriedly. "Have you been having nightmares again?"

The boy shook his head. "Well, sometimes. But they aren't– they're more like normal dreams now."

Luke looked away. "It's just that...my dad. Everyone keeps saying he's evil. Almost every time I walk past the cantina in Anchorhead I hear people talk of him and the Empire and… It's always bad. So, what if they're right? And if they are and I'll be a Sith, too, then what? What if someday they'll be talking about me? I don't want to be evil."

Beru listened to the boy's worries attentively. She shared the same worries, but she couldn't let the child know that. She was an adult, she was his carer. For him, she needed to be strong. A nine year old should not need to carry such burden, so for his sake she needed to be sure. He still needed an adult to tell him things would be alright, because she couldn't stop Luke from becoming a Sith.

"You are not evil", Beru assured him. Luke was the sweetest child she knew. Looking into his blue eyes she couldn't see him ever becoming something people would call evil. But then again, hadn't Shmi always spoken so gently of Anakin? Had Shmi ever looked at his son and thought one day he'd become a monster? Of course she hadn't. No mother looked at their child and saw a monster.

But what right had she to call Darth Vader a monster? None. Absolutely none. No matter the things he'd done, the Vader Beru had met, be it now or years ago, had only wanted the best for his remaining family.

She realised she'd stopped stroking Luke's hair and hastily pulled her hand away. No. Luke was not his father. Luke would never be his father.

"I'm proud of you, Luke. Whatever happens, I'll be proud of you", she reassured him.

"Even if I'll be like my dad?" Luke's voice was barely a whisper.

Beru took Luke's hand in hers and looked at him in the eye. "Your father's done many bad things, Luke", she said as gently as she could.

"But not necessarily for the sake of doing bad things. We have no right to judge him."

It was as much a reminder for herself as it was for Luke. No matter what she'd heard of Darth Vader, she had to base her opinion on her own experiences. Yes, Vader was a terrifying sight, but he had done nothing to harm her or her family. Even at the time he'd still thought Luke was Obi-Wan's apprentice, he had made it clear he had no ill intentions towards her or Owen as long as they stayed out of the way. So no matter what people said, he wasn't completely without mercy or compassion.

"Whatever decisions he's made, I'm sure he's done them because he thought it was the right thing to do. You will always hear people talk ill of him, and some of what they say may well be true. And it's okay not to agree with those things. But he cares about you very much. You need to understand and remember that. And you need to know that you are not your father."

She squeezed Luke's hand reassuringly. "So yes. As long as you do what is right, what you believe is right, I will be proud of you."

Luke accepted her words silently. Beru was about to stand up, when Luke's hands squeezed back urgently.

"Can you tell me about him? Before he...before he was Vader?"

She sat back down, pulling her hands free.

"I don't think there's much to tell", she admitted. They had never spoken of Anakin apart from telling Luke he had been a pilot. "I only met him once. But I can repeat what Shmi, your grandmother, always said of him."

Luke nodded eagerly, so she smiled and continued: "She said he was the kindest child a mother could want. He had a big heart. He would have given everything to help others and often did. He was special."

Beru reached to gently stroke the boy's hair again as she spoke: "Special the way I've lately realised you and Galen are. You are all part of something bigger I can never even begin to understand."

Beru was silent for several seconds, gathering her thoughts.

"Right before the Clone Wars started, he came here to look for Shmi. It was a month after the Tuskens abducted her. Your father was a Jedi at the time, and he came here with a...a friend I think? He was acting as her bodyguard, but they knew each other since they were children. She knew Shmi as well. Cliegg, Owen's father, and the entire community around here went looking for Shmi weeks before their arrival. Thirty people went to rescue her, and four came back. There used to be a lot more Tuskens here. Several clans lived here and they attacked the settlements much more frequently. Cliegg was wounded badly. We didn't believe Shmi to be alive, but Anakin –Vader", she corrected.

"Vader was sure she was. He was anxious and worried sick. He took Owen's swoop and left, and when he returned he had Shmi's body with him. He was right, she was alive when he found her. But she had been abused for too long to survive. We buried her and then he left. The next time we heard of him he was dubbed the Hero With No Fear on HoloNet. Soon after Obi-Wan arrived with you and told your parents were dead."

"What about the woman? Was she my mom?"

Beru cursed herself silently for having mentioned her. She should have realised Luke would cling onto that. She sighed, but replied truthfully: "I don't know. I always thought there was something between them, but... I really don't know. I teased her about it, but she denied there was anything between them. She said they met when An- Vader was still a child in Mos Espa. She was some kind of a politician from the Core, I think. I don't remember where she was from, but she said her home planet was very green and different from Tatooine."

"Do you know her name?" the boy wanted to know.

"Yes, she was called Padmé. But Luke, I don't want you to get too attached to that name. She was with your father because they were childhood friends and he was assigned as her bodyguard. She probably wasn't your mother."

"Oh… Okay." Luke looked extremely disappointed, but it couldn't be helped. It would be worse for him to think Padmé was her mother and then find out that wasn't the case.

"I know it's frustrating, Luke. But you have a father and he loves you. You have me and Owen. And now you have Galen, too. I know it's not the same, but you're not alone."

She leant down to place a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, Luke."

Beru rose, shut down the light and let the door close behind her. There was still another son to say goodnight to.


	18. EPILOGUE II - Ben Kenobi

When Beru left, Luke got up. He stood in the middle of the room, back straight and his little hands curled into determined fists. He closed his eyes and reached out into the Force. He could feel Beru walking away.

He didn't quite know what he was doing, but he inhaled deeply and tried to call for the Jedi's ghost.

"Ben?"

"What is it, young one?"

Luke jumped at the voice, surprised the Jedi had come so quickly. Or had he been there already, spying on him? He blinked couple of times, then looked at the man with determination. "I need to say something."

The Jedi frowned deeply. "Did something happen?"

Luke thought of the slaughtered swoop gang, the Tuskens who Galen killed to protect him and night at the cave. He shook his head. "Thanks for teaching me stuff. I just wanted to say that."

"We haven't even started yet, my boy", the Jedi laughed confusedly. "I have only shown you a little glimpse of the nature of the Force."

"You don't need to show me anything more. I've decided. I'm not doing it. I won't be a Jedi."

"Don't be silly Luke. Of course you'll be a Jedi. You were born to be a Jedi", Obi-Wan assured him. "You are the last hope the Galaxy has."

Luke shook his head again, firmer this time. "Thanks for teaching me, but PROXY and Galen are gonna be my teachers from now on. Just them."

Obi-Wan recoiled as if he'd been slapped in the face. "Luke, think of what you're saying. That boy is a Sith."

"My father's a Sith, too."

"Your father–"

"Was a friend of yours. I _know_. "Evil Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker"", Luke gibed, mimicking Obi-Wan stroking his beard in a mocking gesture. "You've told me. But you know what? You weren't there. My dad was _nice_. The evil Darth Vader you talk about didn't do _anything_ to hurt me. He left me here, because he didn't want me to get hurt. He sent Galen and PROXY and Erv here to help me!"

"Darth Vader is anything but nice", Obi-Wan snapped far more angrily than he should have. But he couldn't help it. To think that his Anakin had become this monster hurt him like a crushing weight wrapped around him, and to know that Luke refused to see it frightened him. "You don't know of the destruction he's sown across the Galaxy or of the thousands of lives he's taken and that have been taken in his name."

"Well maybe they deserved it", the boy replied. "I don't know. I wasn't there. Maybe they just don't appreciate the Empire."

Luke's thoughtless words were like a cold knife twisted in his heart. "Luke, you don't know what you're saying."

"I know enough."

"Luke, please, listen to reason..!" the Jedi pleaded.

"No. Why should I believe anything you say? You are just a liar! You said Galen is evil. You said he hates me, but it's not true. He saved my life. And he'll teach me about the Force."

"You're making a terrible mistake, child."

"Stop acting like you know what's best for me! You're just a crazy hermit with a fancy accent! You tried to kill my dad, you betrayed him. He has to wear that suit because of you!"

Obi-Wan doubted the boy even realised how much his words hurt him. How much truth there was in them. He had betrayed Anakin, afterall. He had left Anakin burning and ran away here where the regret and guilt kept him awake at nights. His duty to Luke and to the few remaining Jedi scattered across the Galaxy had sometimes been the only things keeping him going. As the Jedi had become scarcer and scarcer, Luke had become increasingly important. If Luke were to be turned, he'd have lost everything.

"Please, Luke. You don't know your importance. Please, listen."

"Go away, Ben. I don't want to see you again. I'm not gonna be a Jedi. I'm gonna be a Sith. Like my father."

"Luke–"

The Jedi tried to reach for the boy, but Luke stepped away. "Go! You tried to kill my father!" the boy yelled, angry tears at the corner of his eyes.

"Why should I trust you? Leave and never come back! If you don't, I'll tell Galen and he'll help me to get rid of you. Or we'll tell Erv and he'll tell my dad."

Obi-Wan looked at boy with utter horror written on his face.

"Vader will use you."

Luke didn't say anything. Just stared at him with his arms crossed across his chest, determination marking his features. In that moment, he reminded Obi-Wan of the young Anakin more than ever. And it teared apart his very soul to think how similar the father and son were. How similarly they could fall.

"Even if Vader won't, the apprentice will. He'll betray you. The Sith eventually always do", he tried weakly, but in his heart he knew it was far too late. Luke had made his mind. Despite all his efforts to make the boy realise in what terrible danger he was in by letting himself be influenced by the likes of Vader and his pupil, Obi-Wan had lost this battle.

He could feel the universe shift and the darkness spread, and yet... Luke still shone bright like a candle in the dark. Perhaps the hope would still live on. There was always Leia, already accompanying her adoptive father to Coruscant in her mother's footsteps. But while she appeared to have inherited her mother's diplomatic mind and was good at heart, she lacked her mother's kindness and forgiveness Luke so clearly and inherently possessed. Perhaps it would be better that way. The belief in Vader's humanity was what led Padmé to her death. Her son seemed to be teetering the same path, blinded to the truth by the same trust.

"Maybe." Luke shrugged. "I know we don't get along perfectly. But it's okay. We'll work it out."

"He's a Sith apprentice", Obi-Wan reminded. "There's a reason the Sith have a rule of two. There can only be one master and one apprentice. Vader's already betrayed his master by taking an apprentice. The only way for the apprentice to become a master is to kill the existing master. Sooner or later, your new friend will kill you to eliminate competition."

"You're wrong. Galen's not like that", Luke retorted.

"You don't know the Sith, Luke. You're young. You haven't seen what I have. You don't know what the Dark Side can do to people."

"I don't care. And I won't change my mind. If you don't leave, I'll talk to Galen. We'll figure out a way to get rid of you for good."

While Obi-Wan did not fear Vader's apprentice, he preferred not to have Vader alerted of his presence. He didn't yet know the limitations of his ghostly form, and for all he knew, a strong Force user such as Vader might be able to destroy him, despite that he felt more in tune with the Force than he ever had.

The Jedi closed his eyes, accepting his defeat. "Very well, Luke. I will go for now. But if you ever need—"

"Go!"

Obi-Wan gave the boy one more pained look before his image slowly dissolved, leaving Luke alone in the dark. If he had to stay away, he would, but he would not give up his duty. He would watch over the boy. No matter what happened.


	19. EPILOGUE III - Darth Vader

The dusk tainted the clouds over the city that never slept. Cars passed under and through them in an endless stream, the final rays of sunshine of the day reflecting from their windows. Far above them in the atmosphere a Star Destroyer waited, her crew preparing to leave at moment's notice. Its fleet did the same in the space, for a word had come that its commander would soon arrive.

Darth Vader strode the halls of the Imperial palace. He didn't feel at home here, he didn't belong here with the endless bureaucracy, gossiping and backstabbing. But when the Emperor so commanded, Lord Vader had no choice but to heel. It had been a short visit, and he would be back to his fleet by nightfall. And since he had time, just for the old habit's sake, he would visit the  _Executor_ , though his apprentice and Lieutenant Lekauf should be long gone by now.

Only Starkiller's new pilot would be there, cut off from any means of communication to the Galaxy outside. Vader had no interest in meeting him. The pilot wouldn't have to wait too long. Starkiller would not be kept idle on Tatooine. Lekauf should already be scouting for a new mission for boy, and Starkiller himself should be finishing with his first mission since his relocation on Tatooine about right now. Lekauf would write him a report about his apprentice's performance, but to be entirely honest with himself, Vader had little interest in it. What interested him far more was what the man had to say about his son and his progress.

How long until Luke would be ready wield a lightsaber? How long until the dark side would become a second nature to Luke? Would Luke even understand the Force at all yet? He imagined it must have been largely the same for his son as it had been for himself. Even before he had known of the Force, he had unconsciously tapped to it. It had enhanced his senses, it had been something right at the edge of his conscious mind. Starting to understand it had been as if someone had pulled a veil from his eyes. As if he'd seen, truly seen, the world as it was for the first time. He could not imagine life without it.

While his thoughts lingered mostly on his son, he couldn't help but to wonder how his apprentice was doing with Owen and Beru. Starkiller had never known his parents, had never experienced what it was like to have parents or any kind of permanent guardian. He had only ever had PROXY, a droid that tried to kill him, and Vader himself who was hardly ever physically present.

But parents was undoubtedly what the Lars couple would become. They had already been parents to Luke, and far better at it than Vader himself could ever even hope to be. He could never offer Luke what they did. With Padmé gone, the best Vader could do for their son was to make sure he was safe and loved. Surely that was what she would have wanted, too.

He could do little for any of them but to think of them as little as he could. The Emperor was not a mind reader, but could point out something being off. Thankfully there was nothing suspicious about him wanting to stay as far away from Coruscant as possible. He couldn't stand the planet. Not the pompous Imperial Palace Palpatine had had built in his own honour. Not the ruins of Jedi Temple standing as a solemn memorial and warning for the remaining Jedi still in hiding. Not the living district popular with the rich and those in the Emperor's favour. He could always spot the building and the apartment where Padmé used to live. He didn't know who occupied it now, nor did he want to.

The leftovers of war still spreading across the Galaxy were enough to keep him busy for the rest of his life. When one system was brought to its knees, another one rose against them. Once Vader had thought peace was what he wanted, but he wasn't so sure of it anymore. War was what he was made for. There was no better way of forgetting than letting go and giving himself to the dark side and drowning himself into the front lines of ongoing battle. But it didn't feel right anymore. The silent yearning for death that had always accompanied him, always to be beaten by his will to keep on fighting was gone. He had thought there was nothing to live for but the fight itself. Now he had a reason. No matter what happened, for Luke's sake he had to survive. He had to survive until Starkiller was old enough to accompany him to take Darth Sidious down.

And until that could be done, Vader would keep on going. He would keep fighting the Empire's battles, he would keep on doing his Master's bidding. And when it came to apprentices... Well. There were several interesting cases among the ones the Emperor planned on training. Some mere children, some Jedi gone dark, some frightened padawans that had witnessed their Masters gutted in front of their eyes. The future assassins, inquisitors and hands. The future servants of the Empire. He would continue keeping an eye on them. With any luck he would inspire some loyalty in their ranks as well.

Until the day of rebellion would come, there was nothing for him to do but stay in the side lines.


	20. EPILOGUE IV - Galen Lars

Return to Tatooine felt less strange than he had thought it would. After a week of subzero temperatures he had endured during his first mission since relocating on Tatooine, the heat of the twin suns above the Mos Eisley sky that greeted him as he stepped down the ramp of his ship felt almost welcoming. And despite he loved being back in action, he couldn't deny after five days he'd already missed home.

Home.

He smiled to himself thinking of it. He missed aunt Beru's gentle fussing, he missed uncle Owen's silent, stoic demeanour. Kriff, he even missed Luke and his childishness. He missed the absurdity of school and the band of kids that had become his friends.

Lieutenant Lekauf followed him out into the sunlight with PROXY. The man had served as his temporary pilot for half of the way. He had picked Starkiller up from the farm with a speeder and then piloted the  _Rogue Shadow_  to Scarl. A pang of nostalgia had hit the young apprentice at the sight of his old home. But as soon as he had stepped onto the what should have been a familiar platform, he'd felt like an intruder in the silence of the vast, empty ship. It was cold and unfamiliar.

It hadn't been a long stay. His new actual pilot had arrived soon after and he got a new mission to focus on. Lekauf stayed to oversee it. It filled Starkiller with nervousness to know that someone so close to Lord Vader was watching and analysing him, but it also made him strive for success even harder.

His new pilot had stayed behind at Scarl. He would never know where Starkiller lived or with who he lived. His only purpose was to fly him safely to wherever his missions required him to go. No questions asked.

Starkiller didn't care what the pilot wrote on his reports about him, but the curiosity to what Lekauf wrote was almost overwhelming. He didn't dare to ask, though. The Lieutenant had already told the files about him he'd received from Lord Vader were classified, so it was unlikely he would be allowed to know contents of these reports, either.

With the  _Rogue Shadow_  safely locked in its rented docking bay they walked a short distance to Lekauf's residence and the Lieutenant drove the apprentice and his droid companion back to the farm.

"We need to get you your own swoop", Lekauf remarked. Starkiller agreed, knowing the Lieutenant would get him one. Master Vader had paid him handsomely. His residence was small, but it was located near the most expensive area of Mos Eisley. Tatooine in general may have been poor, but the rich here lived like kings.

Only Beru was home to greet Galen. Owen had returned the north ridge little before their arrival and Luke was still at school in Anchorhead. She greeted him with a warm, affectionate hug, but immediately pulled away and amusedly ordered him to take a sonic and change his clothes. Galen blushed like he never had before, suddenly hyper aware of how sweaty and dirty he must have been. There might have even been some blood in his hair.

Once the boy was gone, Beru turned stern. She sat down with the Lieutenant, having insisted the man would stay until dinner at least if not overnight. Later she'd point out how dangerous it'd be to travel at night, so perhaps the man would agree to stay until morning. She certainly hoped so. It was nice to have a guest and she felt bad for Erv who'd stay all alone in Mos Eisley so soon after being separated from his wife and children.

"Tell me about him", Beru asked. "Tell me about what he does. I know Galen's not going out there to pet banthas, but how bad is it? How dangerous it it?"

"Very dangerous", Erv replied.

"I need to know", she insisted quietly. "If I'm to be a mother to that boy–"

"He's not a boy", Erv cut her off. It was something he had needed to remind himself of constantly until he'd seen Starkiller in action. "He's not a child. He hasn't been a child since Lord Vader took him. He's an assassin. He's a Sith apprentice."

"All the more reason for me to give him some normality", she claimed. "I don't care what Vader's made him. If he wants Galen to stay here, it'll be as a member of the family. He knows this, and he agreed to it."

"All I'm saying is that he's not like Luke. He's not like other children. He'll never be like that."

Erv looked across the yard. "What I'm about to share with you is highly confidential. You must not repeat it, especially not to Starkiller."

Beru nodded. "I understand."

"To be honest, I don't understand much about the Force or the Jedi or the Sith", Erv spoke. "Certainly more than is safe to know these days, but it's still not much. I know who Lord Vader is, who he was. Not that he'd ever told me, but working as close as I did it was an evident conclusion. I know what people used to say about him and I've seen what he's capable of. So I do have an idea what the Force can do."

Erv turned back to look at Beru. "Lord Vader sees potential in Starkiller. He'd have never kept him alive for so long if he didn't. He'd have never sent him here if he didn't. He didn't only train him to become a perfect assassin, he trained for him to become a possible successor. He's doesn't call him an apprentice, but that's what I think he is. And I think that's what Lord Vader thinks, too. Starkiller is strong in the Force, nearly as strong as Lord Vader himself."

Beru nodded, though with her limited knowledge of what Vader was capable of she had no real idea of the potential Starkiller had. And Erv didn't delude himself by thinking he understood that either.

"His parents were both rogue Jedi who left the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars. His mother was apparently already dead when Lord Vader killed his father." He paused.

"Don't feel too bad about his parents", Erv said, noticing how Beru's mouth had become a thin line. "Starkiller's father was an enemy of the state. So was his mother. The Jedi turned against the Senate they'd sworn to serve."

Beru didn't reply. But she supposed she couldn't be the judge here, either. She was not well informed of the affairs of the late Galactic Republic, nor of the politics behind the Clone Wars. Even the Empire, while it had some presence here on Tatooine, was alien to her. None of it mattered much here in the Outer Rim.

"All I know is that Lord Vader saw the child's potential and decided to spare him. Decided to train him in secrecy instead of have him killed in the name of the Empire and the Emperor. Starkiller's been trained in the Sith and Jedi arts since he was three years old. His training has been brutal and cruel, and what he is now is the result of that. He may look like a child, but you must never forget that he's a trained killer. He won't think twice of killing a man."

"Are you trying to intimidate me, Lieutenant?" Beru asked with slight annoyance.

"No. I'm trying to make you see things realistically. You need to be aware of what he is. Lord Vader will make use of his talents and test him as often as possible. He will be shot at, people will very seriously do everything they can to kill him. And Starkiller will kill anyone that stands between him and his goal without mercy, with no remorse. That's what he was trained to do. It's what he lived for until he came here."

"I understand that. But that's not all he is, not anymore."

"Perhaps. But just because he now has a..." Erv looked at her in the eyes, assessing her, "...family, doesn't erase his past or his purpose."

"I'm not trying to do that", she argued. "I wouldn't. But I'm not going to treat him like a child soldier. It's not right. He's a child. He deserves to know what normal life is like."

"And I agree with you, Beru", he said. "I'm a parent, too. I'm not trying to say you shouldn't give him that. What I mean... What I'm trying to say is that he'll never be a normal child. Luke won't be, either. This isn't about him, this is about you. You can't ignore his status as Lord Vader's apprentice, you can't ignore that Luke will be taught in Sith arts. It's going to be part of their life and you must accept that."

Beru looked down at the glass of water between her hands. "I'm trying, but it's not easy", she confessed. She knew it wasn't for her to decide, but she didn't want Luke to grow up a killer. She didn't want for his sweet little boy talking about killing a man as easily as Galen did. And now that she had Galen as well she would've rather pulled him away from the violent madness of what it meant to be Vader's apprentice. What Anakin had done to the boy was cruel. It was wrong. Yet she could not change it and she should not judge him. She didn't understand the Force, so how could she think she had any right to say what the training should or shouldn't be like? She swallowed, fingers clutching tighter around the glass.

"I never asked to become Luke's guardian", she spoke quietly. "I never wanted anything to do with the Force or the Jedi or Obi-Wan. I didn't want to get pulled into this, I never wanted for Luke to get involved, either. He's like a son to me, I love him. But I never wanted any of this. We were fine, we were happy. Then Anakin showed up and turned everything upside down. I don't know if I can do this. Galen is a good boy, but he's also so...cold. I fear for Luke. Stars, I fear for both of them."

Beru's face sprang up when Erv's hands suddenly wrapped around hers. The man's brown eyes gazed into her's with firm reassurance.

"You are a remarkable woman, Mrs Lars", he stated calmly. "If anyone can handle two Force sensitive children training to become Sith it's you."

Beru looked back into the man's scarred face. She saw an honourable, dutiful man. His features were hardened by his military bearing, and he was earnest in his loyalty and admiration for Darth Vader. But behind the commitment she saw not only kindness and understanding, but sadness and loss. Here she sat and complained while this man had given up everything to do his duty to the man whose son she was raising.

"Thank you, Lieutenant", she spoke softly. They both pulled their hands away.

"I've no doubt you'll do excellent job bringing up these boys", Erv said. "But never forget what means for them to be Force sensitives, especially for Starkiller. He's Lord Vader's apprentice."

"I'll try not to", she promised with a sigh. They changed the subject. Erv told her about his living arrangements and  _Rogue Shadow_ 's placement. He had a lot of questions about the local customs, history and culture, and Beru was was far happier telling him about her home planet than discussing her boys. Galen returned and joined them, equally interested in everything he could get to know of his new home. Not long after they heard a sound of a speeder, and Biggs's father greeted them above from the ground level to check it was safe for Luke to come. With a strange vehicle parked by the doorway you never knew in these parts.

Soon after Luke skipped down the stairs.

"Galen..!" he called and ran across the yard to greet him. Galen stood up, only to very nearly loose his footing when Luke jumped to hug him.

"Nice to see you, too", the older boy muttered, but couldn't help but to smile a little as well.

"Hi, Erv", Luke grinned, still hanging onto Galen.

"Hello, Luke", the Lieutenant returned the greeting with an alarmed glance at Beru. She only looked amused.

"Did you do the katas every day?" Galen asked, gently but firmly pushing Luke away to get some space between them.

"Yep."

" _Every_  day?"

"Uh, well  _maybe_  not every day", Luke confessed uneasily. "I might have skipped them once or twice."

Galen frowned disapprovingly. "That's not good. We could go through them now. You need to practice."

Luke's face fell. "What, right now?"

"Yes right now. Come on."

Luke complained, but secretly he was quite pleased. Especially after the katas he managed to convince Galen to show off telekinesis and Luke could give it a go, too. He had improved in it a little, though it still took great amount of concentration. As night grew closer, Owen returned. The family and their guest ate together. The boys helped their aunt with the dishes while uncle Owen produced a bottle of finest ale they sold in Anchorhead, and he and Erv sat down with drinks. Luke escaped the company into the living room to watch holo dramas, leaving Galen alone with Beru for the first time since he'd returned.

Beru pulled him into a gentle embrace. "I'm glad you're back in one piece", she said. "I was worried."

Galen smiled shyly, hugging her back. "You don't need to worry about me, aunt Beru. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can", she agreed, pulling away from the hug. "But I'm not naïve. Whatever it is you're doing, wherever Vader sends you, I know it's dangerous."

"If you want, I can tell you about it", the boy offered hesitantly, but Beru shook her head.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"I know it's not something you wanna hear", Galen told, pang of disappointment in his heart. "But it's what I do. It's what I was meant to do. It's my destiny, it's the will of the Force. And I'm proud of it."

Beru smiled at him gently, but it wasn't a happy smile. "I'm sure deep down he's very proud of you, too."

Galen looked away. He wanted to agree with her, he did. But she didn't know his Master. Lord Vader wasn't like that, he just wasn't. More than anything Galen wanted to make his Master proud, but he wasn't supposed to pursue things like pride. He was to be a Sith. He didn't need someone to tell what a good job he'd done or boost his ego. Those were distractions.

And yet. "Do you think so?"

Beru's smile reached her eyes and there was an amused glint in them at his frightened, hopeful expression, but it also stung her to know how little this troubled boy had ever received genuine human affection. How he seemed to think he deserved none of it.

"Deep, deep, deep, deep, deep down" she assured him, suppressing an urge to reach out to caress his hair. She didn't want to overwhelm Galen. Poor boy still looked so lost when touched gently, his reactions to them still stiff and awkward. From his downcast eyes she could tell he didn't believe her.

"We're happy you're here", she tried, but the Galen's uneasiness remained.

"Hey..." she called gently. She recalled her earlier conversation with Erv. "Darth Vader wouldn't have sent you here if he didn't believe in you. Even if he's never said it, he wouldn't have trained you if he didn't believe in you."

The boy's lips curled up in a genuine smile and to her surprise Galen pulled her into another hug. "I'm really happy to be here, too, aunt Beru."

He let go as abruptly as he had started and stepped away from her. He felt like he needed air.

"I mean it", he managed to say before mumbling something about checking on PROXY, turning around and making a hasty escape outside. Neither Owen or Erv noticed him slip through the yard and walk up the stairs. He heard them toast and laugh.

Out in the desert the setting suns cast long shadows on the ground. Galen breathed in a few deep breaths and walked to the raised ledge of the pit that was his home. The voices from the dining table where uncle Owen and Lieutenant Lekauf sat barely carried here. Far away in horizon first of the suns was already dipping into the skyline.

The binary sunset. What a magnificent sight it was. The galaxy was truly a magical place.

Galen stopped at the edge, facing the setting suns. Dry desert wind played with his short hair and the edges of his robes. The sandy, barren wasteland went on and on as far as he could see. Behind him he could hear the hum of the closest vaporators.

He looked at the view and for the first time since his arrival absolute calm filled him. The landscape before him and the homestead around him. They were his home, but only now did he truly feel so. And the people here –aunt Beru and uncle Owen. PROXY forever by his side. Lieutenant Lekauf who'd return to Mos Eisley tomorrow. And Luke. His  _brother_  Luke. This was his family.

It didn't feel like such a bad thing after all.


End file.
